Marisa 14: Palermo Round Up
by Prof. Voodoo
Summary: A group of fratelli set up temporary headquarters in Palermo, Sicily to assist Public Safety with a massive round-up of Mafia & Padania targets.
1. Chapter 1

"This," muttered Allison, "is the living, breathing definition of suck. If you looked up the word _suck_ in the dictionary there would be a picture of us 3 standing here."

"Aw come on," teased Petrushka, "you said you wanted a driving job."

Allison rolled her eyes and replied "This is not a driving job...this is a parking job..." causing her room-mate and Kara to laugh "...and did I mention it _sucks_?" The 3 cyborgs were dressed in identical outfits; black slacks, tuxedo shirts and red vests, each of them sporting a black bow-tie to complete their disguse as parking attendents outside the _Osteria Dei Vespri_ restaurant. It was mid autumn, and while it was still somewhat warm this far south, there had been a constant drizzle of rain all night long, contributing to their discontent. None of the girls were especially thrilled to have been assigned this detail; Allison lamented getting behind the wheel of so many exotic automobiles but only being able to drive them as far as the parking lot, Kara objected bitterely to being seen in public wearing polyester slacks & Petra complained about the lack of tips.

**_Opening Move_**

"Heads up," Kara whispered, "here comes Michele." A dark red Lamborghini Gallardo rolled up to the curb in front of _Osteria Dei Vespri_, and the girls hurried to open the doors. From the drivers side stepped Pagani, looking magnificent in what was for him a rather average suit. He came around to take the hand of his accompaniment for the evening before tossing the keys to Kara.

Claes swept past, arm in arm with Kara's fratello, dressed in a long, flowing evening gown, and wearing a smug, self-satisfied smile. She made eye contact with her fellow cyborgs, but did not acknowledge them in any other way...until she reached out and slipped a piece of paper into Kara's hand.

"What is it?" whispered Allison, urgently.

"Did she slip you a note?" Petra conjectured. Checking to her left and right, Kara backed into the shadows where she could not be seen and unfolded the paper. Almost instantly the serious look on her face turned to one of red faced anger. "What is it?" asked Petrushka.

"She _tipped_ me..." growled Kara, holding up a €5 note, "...that _bitch_!"

"Well if you don't want it..." Allison teased, making a grab for the bill which Kara only managed to dodge by centimeters. From the opposite side Petra made her own playful lunge, and the 3 girls engaged in a bit of giggling horseplay, Kara playing keep-away from the other two cyborgs as they attempted to snatch the €5 bill from her.

"Ladies..." growled a displeased voice over their hidden ear-piece radios, "...I'd like to see a little less grab-ass and a little more professionalism." It was Allison's handler, Brian, watching from an apartment across the street.

"Whoa...all-stop on that! Continue just like you were" Alessandro Rissi corrected. He un-keyed the microphone and explained to his fellow handler, "They're supposed to be posing as teenaged parking attendants. What they're doing is _exactly_ how 3 minimum-wage kids their age would behave. Relax...they're doing fine."

McDonnell grudgingly accepted his logic, and re-opened the mic; "Okay girls...you heard Alessandro, carry on as you were, but keep your guard up. Public Safety is reporting that Teoni has left his villa and should be at our location any minute now."

Back down in front of the restaurant the cyborgs relaxed a bit, but their behavior was a bit more subdued after being reminded that they were still under the watchful eyes of their handlers. "Seems like a whole lot of manpower to pick up one bloke" muttered Brian. "3 fratelli outside the door, 2 more inside the restaurant, and Alboreto in the alley out back. Pity they make that old guy wait with the trash out back...does he really need the money that badly?"

"Doubt it, I hear he gets paid more than Jean" replied Rissi, looking down the street with binoculars.

"Shite..." Brian muttered, "more than the Field Commander, why?"

Alessandro turned to face him and said casually, "Well it's only fair...he _has_ been doing this sort of work since Jean was in diapers. Besides, Jean wouldn't care even if he did know...he's got a big inheritance. If we keep at this as long as Mr. A & the Chief we'll both get there."

"You sound like a career spy" laughed the Ulsterman.

Rissi gave a shrug of his shoulders and admitted, "Yeah, I'll admit, I wouldn't mind having one of the top jobs in the company someday. This work is really all I know. Even if I never make it to the top in SISDE it would be nice to get one of those high-paying private security positions. What about you? This gig at the SWA isn't going to last forever...got any plans?"

"To be honest, no." replied McDonnell. It embarrassed him a bit. Sandro Rissi was considerably younger than he, and yet seemed to have his future planned out better. Brian reflected with honesty that the last few months of his life had been entirely focused on Allison, not leaving much time to consider what he would do once she was gone. _Take on another cyborg? Stay in the spy game? Go back to the private sector?_ It was all too far off, and Brian didn't want to think about it, so he steered the convesation back to their fellow agent. Alessandro always seemed in the mood for gossip. "So Alboreto makes good money, eh?"

"That's what I hear from the ladies in payroll" chuckled Rissi, "but still not as good as the offers he turned down from the private sector. I have a feeling he came on board only after a lot of cajoling by his old mate Lorenzo. Besides, guys like that, guys who've been at this their whole lives don't know how to get out of the game. They talk all about how they want to quit, and go raise tomatos in their garden, but after a few weeks they're right back, looking for their next big thrill."

Brian regarded his partner with a sly grin and warned "Mind _you_ don't get like that, Mr. Career spy." There was one last bit of gossip he wanted to cover; "Do you think that rumor about Alboreto and the President of Angola is true?"

"The _job offer_?" Rissi replied, "I don't know...it's a pretty wild story, and not something that could realisticly happen...but it's a rumor that just won't die."

By now the rain was coming down a little heavier, and the two handlers watched their cyborgs (plus Kara) take cover under the awning of the restaurant. "Here he comes!" exclaimed McDonnell, spotting a dark blue Mercedes rolling down the street toward them. He keyed his microphone and announced "All positions, Teoni is on our street & approaching the restaurant."

"Copy that" Jean replied, "door team, on your toes. As soon as he's inside change clothes and follow him as planned."

Petrushka answered him quickly, "Door team copies, sir."

* * *

In the alley behind _Dei Vespri_, Marisa entertained herself by kicking a rusty can and thinking of new ways to complain about the less than glamorous role in the operation she & Elio were playing. Her handler wasn't taking the bait. "Man, this blows" she whined, "Claes and Rico are inside a fancy restaurant..._dry_...even Kara, Allison & Petra get to be out front, not surrounded by garbage."

"I though you'd be happy about this job" chuckled the old spy, "out of all the fratelli _we're_ the ones favored to capture the mark tonight."

"I'm gonna pound this jerk good for making us wait out here in the rain, with wet garbage" she muttered.

Alboreto gave a low growl of disapproval and reminded her "_Alive_ Mari...we're to capture this mafiosi alive. Why do you think there's 6 cyborgs being used to bring one man in? He's important...if we lose this fellow the whole operation is scuttled."

Before she could respond there was a knock at the back-door. It seemed odd for someone inside to be knocking for permission to come outside, but the knock was code. Once Marisa had dashed over and banged out the counter-code the door opened, revealing a nervous waiter carrying a tray.

"Sir...and Miss...compliments of the staff." He handed over a covered silver tray, and a pot of hot coffee. While Mari eagerly took it off his hands with a grateful smile & nod, Elio stood up from his lawn chair to offer a few folded bills as a tip. "Oh, no sir...that's not necessary" the waited told him, holding his palm up in courteous refusal, "We're all just thrilled to help out on a national security operation. It's the most exciting thing that's happened here in ages." As he departed, Alboreto shook his head in frustration. _Most exciting thing in ages_, he thought, _great, the last thing we need is a lot of waiters and cooks blabbing about this at the very beginning of secret operation._ Bribes and threats may be neccessary, _best to leave that sticky business to Ferro_.

Marisa was not concerned about the waiter at all, not when there was dinner in front of her. The famished cyborg cleaned off an old vegetable crate to serve as their table, and set the tray on it before dragging her own folding chair next to her handler's. "See;" he teased, hiding his concerns, "_you_ thought I was being silly for insisting we bring folding chairs instead of machine guns. Which is more useful right now? Fancy sitting on wet pavement to eat?"

"Yeah, yeah..." the girl groaned, uncovering their tray "...you think of everything, nobody is as brilliant as you...I've heard it all before."

* * *

Rubino Teoni was a heavy, nervous man, who hurried inside (without tipping, as Petra pointed out) as soon as Allison had taken his keys. She did not park his car, because in seconds Brian & Sandro dashed across the street to take charge of it. The three girls ran around the corner to a van where Olga & a trio of confused college girls waited. The cyborgs returned their red vests to these girls...the real valet parking attendants...and thanked them for their cooperation in this important national security operation.

"But all we did was wait in a van and watch movies..." muttered one of the valets.

"Yes" replied Olga, handing them each €100, "now go back to work and never mention this to anyone, _capito_?"

Petra pretended to be insulted; "Hey, we didn't get 300 euros and we did all the work!"

"You get a new vest" Olga retorted, tossing each of them a black vest, "you are waitresses now, maybe the tips will be better!"

Inside, Rico spotted Teoni first. "That's him, isn't it Jean?"

"Yes Rico" he replied, neglecting to thank her, or praise her attentiveness. The Field Commander keyed his mic and whispered "Michele, do you see him?"

Pagani did not see the mark at first, but Claes pointed him out. "Affirmative; Claes & I are ready to move in."

"Stand by...wait for your cyborg and the others" ordered Croce. In a few moments Kara, Allison and Petra walked in, their hair still damp from being outside in the rain, but otherwise looking just like waitresses. They fanned out to cover any escape route. "Alright, they're in position...move in, don't spook him."

Michele & Claes each got up from their table and began to approach Rubino Teoni. From the opposite side, Jean and Rico moved in, slowly, trying to avoid being noticed. It didn't work...the portly mafiosi realized he was being stalked, and got up from his table. "The mark has spotted us...move in...fast but quiet, don't make a scene" Jean ordered.

The 3 girls guarding the exit points gave each-other a nod, and joined the hunt. Suddenly, a distraction; as Allison passed a patron caught her arm. "Waitress, could you please bring us another fork? My husband has dropped his."

"Eh, sure..." the startled cyborg replied. She snatched an unused fork from another (occupied) table and handed it to the husband. "_Buon appitito, signor_" she said to the shocked diners.

Teoni looked around, but recognized that he was being stalked from all sides. A red-haired girl in a waitress uniform blocked the bathrooms...an oriental looking girl stood in the way of the patio door, and a brunette blocked the main exit. All of them were getting closer, as were two grim looking men who were each flanked by a younger _ragazza_. Rubino had heard the rumors about young girls being trained as government assassins. At the time he had laughed, but now it was obvious...those rumors were _true_ and he was their next target.

Only the kitchen remained as a possible escape route. Teoni went for it, just as the agents had planned. Once he had passed though the kitchen doors the mobster was stopped by a dishwasher who pointed out that this area was for _dipendenti solo_. Rubino shoved the man out of his way and made a dash for the back door. As they had been instructed the kitchen staff did not interfere.

Panting heavily, Rubino Teoni stumbled into the alley and searched for an escape route. There were no safe-houses available to him...he was considered a traitor & the _Cosa Nostra_ was just as likely to kill him as the government. If he could get to his car he could leave Palermo and be on the mainland by morning. Maybe his Padania contacts in the north could help him, get him out of the country.

To his surprise a man waited for him in the alley...a man as old as he was, with a grey beard and a long trench-coat. Rubino did not know if this bastardo was with the mafia or the government, and he wasn't waiting to find out. He drew a .44 caliber revolver from his jacket, and brought it to bear on the seemingly unconcerned grey-beard, but before he could aim another set of hands grabbed his arm and twisted it painfully, making it easy to peel away his pistol. These were tiny hands...those of a young child, but before Teoni even got a glimpse of her Marisa kicked him in the knee and forced him to the wet ground. "I'm not allowed to kill you," she growled, "but if you try to move I'll pistol-whip you with your own gun."

"Good work" Elio praised her, "keep your guard up."

The back door opened a second time, with Jean and Michele coming through. Alboreto drew his Beretta, but lowered it when he saw that it was just his fellow team members. With a quick look around Croce immediately accessed the situation, and gave an approving nod to Alboreto before speaking into his radio; "Olga, the mark is secure, bring the van for team extraction." She did not keep him waiting; in under a minute the Russian had backed her white Ford Transit down the dark alley and Teoni was roughly tossed inside, Marisa keeping his arm twisted behind him and one knee in his back the whole time. The rest of the team jumped inside (Michele gallantly carried Claes to avoid dragging the hem of her evening gown through the garbage-strewn alley), leaving only Allison & Kara behind to drive Michele's Gallardo back to field headquarters. Seeing her partner's face flush pink with jealousy, Allison graciously conceded the driver's seat to Kara, which ameliorated her feelings at seeing _her_ handler carry Claes into the van, if just a little bit.

**_Field Headquarters_**

It was somewhat odd that the first big operation for the SWA following the break-down of peace negotiations with the Five Republics Faction did not directly involve the Padania. A large force of 7 fratelli, 4 support staff and 2 doctors had deployed to Palermo, Sicily to assist Public Safety during a big mafia round-up. Since it was known that the _Cosa Nostra_ was helping the Padania smuggle weapons into the country through the southern island, the plan met with full support from Chief Lorenzo, who provided all the help Public Safety Director Reschiglian asked for.

"I hope they don't mind that we took the long way home" muttered Kara, as she pulled the Gallardo into the indoor parking garage under the Public Safety building that was their temporary home.

"Michele?" Allison scoffed, "Be serious...he won't mind a bit. Brian either. We're not even that late really...barely an hour and a half."

The dark haired girl raised an eyebrow at her sister and replied "Actually it was Jean I was worried about."

"Oh yeah," laughed Allison, "I forgot about him. Yep, he's gonna yell at us for sure. Probably Ferro too." She didn't seem too concerned by that.

Public Safety owned a 6 story apartment building in central downtown Palermo, which was utilized for the most part as extra office space. One floor had been half preserved in its residential state to provide a residence for visiting Europol agents & other VIP's. A spacious 2 bedroom apartment took up most of the space, plus a few storage rooms. It was this floor that Section Two now occupied.

The building had a freight elevator, but in the interest of expedience the girls took the stairs. Each had their reasons; Allison was concerned with finding something to eat (only the Elio & Marisa had been lucky enough to grab a bite at the restaurant, even if it had been in the alley out back), but Kara insisted on checking in first. Upon their arrival on the 4th floor the two found a very sleepy looking Rico sitting alone in the hallway. "Welcome back!" the younger girl greeted them, in a tired voice.

"Hiya Rico," Kara replied, "where are all the grown-ups?"

She bobbed her blonde head toward the office door to her back. "They're questioning the prisoner, but they're not ready for me yet" Rico yawned, "I hope it's soon, I'm tired."

"Aww, I'm sure it won't be too much longer" said Kara sympathetically.

Noticing a dirty plate and empty glass holding onto a thin residue of milk on the floor under Rico's chair Allison asked "Eh, Rico, is there anything left to eat?"

"I don't know...Mr. Pagani cooked, so it was pretty popular" she replied. Allison grumbled something under her breath, Kara did her best to ignore her.

Leaving Rico in the hallway the two older girls ventured inside to check in. Almost all of the adults were there...Jean & Giuseppe Croce, Alessandro, Ferro, Priscilla, Mr. Alboreto and both Allison & Kara's handlers. Rubino Teoni was there too, handcuffed and tied to a chair in one corner of the room, being questioned by Giuse & Priscilla. The mafiosi did not have a mark on him...yet, which told the two late arrivals that he was still in the _soft sell_ portion of his interrogation. Jean gave a glance at his watch and muttered, "Nice of you to check in, I hope it wasn't too inconvenient."

"Sorry Mr. Croce, to avoid drawing attention we decided to take a different route home than the van, but we got lost" ventured Allison, with a hopeful grin. Kara rolled her eyes at the obvious fabrication.

Jean was equally unconvinced, but with the interrogation taking precedence he did not have time to fly into a tirade. "Well now you have a good reason not to deviate from orders. You two just pulled the early morning mission tomorrow."

"What time sir?" Kara asked, trying to mitigate the Field Commander's displeasure by showing eagerness.

He shrugged his shoulders dismissively and replied "We don't know yet...but whenever it is, you two and McDonnell are on it."

Kara cast a questioning glance in Michele's direction. "I'll be busy tomorrow morning. We're using _Bright Star_ as a field hospital, so I need to be aboard to help with set-up. Brian will be in charge...don't give him any trouble, _capito_?" Michele's warning was genuine; alone Kara was one of the most dependable, mature cyborgs in the agency, but when paired up with her friends bad habits sometimes surfaced.

"Yes sir" was the best answer she could have given at the moment.

By this time Jean's attention had turned to the prisoner. Priscilla & his brother had been trying to sweet talk the man for over an hour now, promising protective custody, dropped charges, even immunity & a new identity in exchange for names and locations relevant to the operation...but thus far their efforts had been fruitless. _Omerta_ reigned supreme in Teoni's order of priorities, even though he was already considered a turn-coat and a marked man by the Cosa Nostra he was trying to protect. "Enough" the elder Croce growled, "if he isn't going to listen to reason we'll make him hurt."

Mr. Alboreto turned to the two wide eyed cyborgs in the room and said "It's time for you to leave."

"We could help..." suggested Allison, morbid curiosity making her forget about her empty stomach for the time being. The gray bearded man would not consider it; he said nothing but pointed toward the door to indicate that the matter was not open for negotiation.

"You should let Rico go to bed too" he suggested to Jean, "there's nothing here we can't handle ourselves."

Jean disagreed; "Rico can hit twice as hard as any of us...with fists that are half our size. She is _extremely_ effective at this type of work."

"And she's been awake for 22 hours," Elio pointed out, "this could take until morning. Let the kid get some sleep or your _tool_ will be worthless tomorrow." He chose his words specifically to appeal to Jean. "I'll get this _pezzo di merda_ talking...and show you some tricks while I'm at it."

"Fine" muttered Croce, too tired to argue.

Michele saw Kara & Allison to the door. "I made a lamb & bean _cassoulet_, and saved you both a plate. They're in the oven."

"Thanks Michele"

"Yes, thank you Mr. Pagani"

The handler tried to look as stern as possible and grumbled "It wasn't easy...the _vultures_ were circling. Next time you two waltz in nearly two hours late it's cold bologna sandwiches for the both of you." As he opened the door Michele addressed the younger girl still waiting in the hall. "You can go get some rest Rico, we won't need you tonight."

"Thank you Jean" she muttered sleepily, never looking up to notice it was not Jean who had given the order. Rico gathered up the dirty dishes from under her chair and shuffled across the hall to the apartment, followed closely by her older sisters.

Rubino Teoni felt that by not succumbing to Giuse & Priscilla's offers he had won the first round. His perceived victory gave him the nerve to laugh as Elio approached carrying a small gym bag. "Fucker," he growled, "you better have some chap stick in that bag because you're gonna need it when you're done sucking my dick!"

"Funny you should put it that way," replied Alboreto, "gather around people...the first step you need to learn is how to siphon petrol out of your car without getting a mouthful." He pulled a vodka bottle from his bag, half filled with the amber liquid. "I can't tell you how many times I've sucked in a mouthful because I wasn't paying attention, or trying to do it in the dark. Trick is to draw the petrol out slowly, and then quickly get the end of the hose lower than your gas tank." Nobody spoke a word, and even Jean looked at the bottle Elio held with a degree of horror. _Is he bluffing?_

Teoni was still playing it tough. "You're full of shit. You wouldn't do this inside a building!"

"He has a point..." whispered Alessandro, "...Public Safety is not going to be happy if we burn their building down."

"Relax," said Alboreto, "We have plenty of fire extinguishers, and we're only going to put a little petrol on him at a time and do a series of short burns with a break in between so he can _think_ about the next one. The objective is to get him to talk...not cook. Now who has some duct tape? Ah, Brian...good...tape his mouth really well. What we're doing here is not to prevent him from screaming, but to protect his lips. He's going to need those when he finally does decide to sing." The old man's demeanor was chillingly casual as he went about the process as if it were as routine as paperwork.

McDonnell looked around at his fellow Section 2 members, but their expressions were just as blank as his. Still unsure if Alboreto was bluffing he went ahead and taped over the defiant Teoni's mouth. "You may be wondering how he's going to give us any answers while his mouth is taped up, but I'm not worried about that. We're going to do at least 3 burns before we even _care_ what he has to say." Elio unscrewed the cap of his vodka bottle and splashed a few ounces on Rubino's shirt. "The upper chest and neck is a good place to start. Save his dick for when he's about to snap...for most men that's the last straw...an Italian man will sell out their own grandmother to save _that_!"

The overpowering scent of gasoline filled the room, and filled all of Elio's colleagues with alarm. _Oh God, he's not bluffing_. They had all heard rumors about his vicious past in MI-6..._The Godfather_ who had been famous for beating men to death with a hammer...but none of them believed the gossip until this moment. "Sandro, you're pretty tall, can you pop the battery out of that fire detector? And Jean...have you got your cigarette lighter handy?" The Field Commander was no stranger to roughing up a suspect and more, but to burn a man alive was beyond anything he'd ever done. The older man's aloof demeanor rattled him even more. Hesitantly, Croce reached into his pocket and pulled out his brass Zippo, fighting to keep his hand from trembling.

That was all it took for Teoni. He began thrashing in his chair, and blowing against the tape so hard that his face turned purple. As Alboreto struck the flint and approached with the flame the frantic mafiosi tipped over his chair with a crash, and tried to wriggle away in panic. "They do this a lot before the first round" Elio explained, "nothing to worry about...by the second and third burns he won't have the strength left."

Rubino finally blew the duct tape off his moth and began screaming out names. "Alfredo de Rossini! Ugo Fascelli! Mario Bovino! I know where they are...I know where they're vulnerable! I'll tell you _everything_!"

Alboreto paused, hovering the lighter over the frenzied prisoner with the same casual expression he had worn from the very beginning. "Oh...alright. Giuse, Priscilla, it looks like your soft-sell convinced him after all. We won't need to do this."

All the other Section 2 members breathed a private sigh of relief. Each one was well acquainted with violence, and even brutal interrogation tactics, but burning a man alive, slowly, was beyond what they had expected. None was quite sure what to do next. Alessandro & Giuseppe stepped forward to pick Teoni's chair up, but Elio growled, "Leave him...he can talk just fine from the floor." The gray haired man placed the gasoline bottle on the floor right where Rubino could see it and added "So start talking."

* * *

Unaware of the drama across the hall most of the cyborgs were just going to bed in the apartment, watched over by Olga & Avise Mancini. When Kara & Allison arrived they were met by good-natured ribbing from their sister cyborgs. "So, did Jean chew you out for being so late?" chuckled Petra.

"Not really" answered Kara, as Allison went directly for the kitchen, "he was too occupied with the prisoner to say anything but '_you two have the early mission tomorrow._' Then Mr. Alboreto kicked us out."

"I'm glad" groaned Rico, depositing her dirty plate and glass in the dishwasher machine, "I didn't want to be up all night beating the stuffing out of a fat man. They always take longer to pound than the skinny ones." The blonde haired girl had meant that with complete sincerity, but it still drew a laugh from her more-awake sisters. "I'm going to _bed_." Olga intercepted Rico on the way to the common bedroom and steered her toward the bathroom. "Brush your teeth and wash up first, _myshi_."

By the time Kara sat down at the kitchen table Allison had already finished her own plate of Michele's cassoulet as well as banana & 2 _Pop-Tarts_. Satisfied at last she announced "Okay, Rico had the right idea...I think I'm ready for sleep too. Who knows how early Jean will have rolling out of bed tomorrow morning."

Imitating Olga's Russian accented voice Kara teased "Remember to brush your teeth and wash up first, myshi."

"You don't even know what that means!" laughed Allison, giving Kara a playful bop in the head as she took her plate to the dishwasher.

As there were only 2 bedrooms available the members of Section 2 were divided by gender. This arrangement caused some grumbling amongst the ladies, as there were 11 of them versus only 7 men, but there was little that could be done other than providing the larger bedroom to the female contingent. When Allison arrived she found Rico & Henrietta occupying one of the 2 king-sized beds, Marisa sprawled out on the sofa & Agapita on one of the many cots. She changed into her oversized t-shirt (picturing World Rally Champion Sebastian Loeb & his Citroen) and crawled into one of the cots. Kara, Petra & Claes followed just a few minutes later, each grabbing their own cot, respectfully leaving the second bed available for Olga, Priscilla or Ferro.

**_Day One_**

Morning came all too early. At 0500 Jean roused all the cyborgs, not just Kara & Allison. Yawning & rubbing their eyes they rolled out of bed and began to get dressed, but Croce just ordered "Don't waste time with that, just get out to the living room so we can brief you." That created an awkward situation for the girls who chose to sleep in only their underwear, but the Field Commander did not seem to care. As they filed out Claes nodded at the bed that had been left open for the 3 adult women. It was undisturbed...none of them had gotten any sleep last night.

Once all were assembled the cyborgs saw the sunken eyes and unshaven faces of the men & quickly understood that none of their handlers had gotten to bed either. Jean gave a nod to Ferro, who rubbed her eyes & began the briefing without formality: "As you already know, last night we apprehended the former _Cosa Nostra_ suspect Rubino Teoni. Just as we had hoped, he was _convinced_ to provide information of the organization which had turned him out. What we did not expect was the volume of information he gave up. Mr. Teoni provided the names & likely locations of no less than _48_ wanted mafia members." That news drew gasps and excitement from the cyborgs, but their adult counterparts seemed less enthusiastic. Ferro continued; "We estimate that we have only 4 days before word spreads through the underworld that we are operating in the city. After that our suspects will certainly go into hiding, and the opportunity will be lost. That means a lot of work...for all of us. We can not expect predictable schedules or very much rest over these next 4 days. Public Safety will provide support of course, mostly in the form of cleaner crews, but we are spearheading this round up. Some of our targets are to be captured, but most are marked for elimination."

"Do we have mission sheets yet?" asked Allison, hoping that a show of enthusiasm could wipe the memory of she & Kara's unauthorized late arrival from the minds of the adults.

Ferro waved her hand in tired frustration and replied "I haven't got time to type all that up...get your notebooks out if you want to write down specifics. McDonnell, as we discussed, you'll be taking Allison & Kara on the first mission...a live capture of a _caporegime_. He breakfasts at his social club in an hour, you can grab him there. No need to take any bodyguards, you can kill them. Girls; Kara & Allison have first dibs on the bathroom, nobody get in their way."

"Alright, you heard the lady," said Brian, "you have 10 minutes to get washed up and dressed."

"10 minutes?" exclaimed Kara in dismay, who could barely pick out a suitable outfit in that time, much less brush her teeth and do her hair. Allison did not look pleased either.

Brian smiled, but gave no quarter, "10 minutes...the clock is ticking."

* * *

"I don't know why you're working yourself into a sweat about this. That rat-bastard Teoni skipped town already" muttered Hector Demagni, dipping his brioche into a cup of granita.

"Bullshit" growled Grassa Sallusito, "they say they seen him at _Dei Vespri_ just last night. Ordered and then took off like a scared rabbit just after his soup showed up."

The capo gave a snorting laugh and sipped his cappuccino. "Fat bastard didn't need to eat anything else anyway. Trust me, he's long gone...probably went down south and got a boat out to Istanbul or something. Good fucking riddance."

"Look, I'm as happy to see him gone as you are," whispered Sallusito, looking around the patio to see if anyone was listening "but it's exactly those friends in Turkey that I'm concerned about. Teoni knows all about the gun-running through the Bosporus, and he knows all about how we're tied up with those Republican wackos up north. What if he didn't skip town? What if he got picked up by the government?"

"This is Palermo, Grassa, we own the goddamn _polizia _in this town. If they had him we'd know it by now."

"I ain't talking about the cops," growled Sallusito "I'm talking about the _government_."

This time Demagni laughed out loud; "You read too many spy novels! What do you think, we got some secret government agency watching us with spy cameras & shit right now?" He leaned back in his seat and grabbed his crotch. "Hey, _federali_ look what I got for you, _stronzi_!"

"I'd rather have some of that coffee" muttered Allison, watching Demagni & Sallusito from the driver's seat of an inconspicuous looking Fiat Stilo. They were less than 12 meters from where the two mafiosi sat alone with no bodyguards, but the overpowering noise of the street made electronic listening equipment necessary, even with their cyborg ears.

"How's it going, Brian?" asked Kara. He was in the back seat with a lap-top computer and his cell phone, trying to get information on the target's unexpected breakfast partner.

He shook his head. "Still no reply from Ferro" he sighed, "I e-mailed her the photo you took 10 minutes ago."

"It wasn't a very good picture" sighed the dark haired girl, "I had to shoot through a hedge. Too bad we don't have 'Etta with us; she'd just walk up, smile, and take his picture...and she'd get away with it."

"She does have a magic touch with that sort of cutesy stuff" chuckled McDonnell, "I'm beginning to believe Guiseppe's warnings about how sneaky she can be!"

"Awww, man...they're almost finished!" Allison complained, "Brian, this second guy is obviously involved in a Padania-Mafia link, can't we just pick him up and sort out the details later?"

"I'm inclined to agree with you" he replied, checking for a reply from Ferro one last time. "Alright, Kara, you're with me...Allie, stay in the car, engine running."

Brian & Kara slipped out of the hatchback and moved into position. Borrowing a trick from the previous night Kara stole a waitresses blouse from a coat-hook near the employee's bathroom. Cringing at the ugly turquoise color she slipped it on over her clothes. _A few sizes too big, but it will have to do_. At the same time Brian positioned himself near the back door of the inside dining room, and waited.

"Anything else I can get for you, _signori_?" asked the cyborg, approaching the patio table where the two mafiosi were finishing their repast.

"What happened to Apollonia?" asked Sallusito, obviously the more suspicious of the pair.

Kara smiled and replied "Oh she's on her break, I can take care of anything you'd like."

Hector Demagni whacked the seat of Kara's denim skirt with his hand and laughed "Oh I already see what I'd like."

She bit back her anger and laughed along with him. "Good thing my boyfriend can't see us right now." The _capo_ grinned and flashed two folded €10 notes before slipping them into her back pocket. "Your boyfriend don't need to know a thing." His measly offer offended Kara even more that the smack on the ass, so she decided now was the time to act. The cyborg shot a glance to Brian, who nodded in approval, and Kara slowly pulled the P2000 from its hiding place tucked into the back of her skirt, flirting with Demagni to keep him distracted.

Unfortunately, Grassa Sallusito was sharper and more cautious than his companion. The instant Kara's right hand disappeared behind her back he leapt to his feet and tossed the table over, splashing hot coffee into Kara's face. "Shit!" snapped the cyborg, instinctively protectingvulnerable eyes, and got a hard kick in the stomach while distracted. Brian rushed forward, but the two mafiosi were already running. Sallusito had already jumped over a short stone wall and into the parking lot...Demagni ran in the opposite direction.

"Are you okay?" Brian demanded, helping Kara off the ground.

"Of course I am!" she snapped, furious at herself for underestimating the secondary target, and causing a public scene. "I'm getting Demagni...you guys catch Sallusito!" With that she raced off in pursuit of the man who had _dared_ put his hand on her butt.

Allison had watched the scene unfold, and whipped the Fiat out into the street, narrowly missing a bus. She rounded the corner with a hand-brake turn and reached the parking lot just in time to see her target blast out driving an old Mercedes 190E, knocking down a bicyclist on the way out. The cyborg was ready to purse, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Brian rush out with his Kimber already drawn.

"Thanks for stopping" he joked, hopping into the passenger seat.

"I couldn't leave my big bro alone in public with his weapon out in plain view" Allison replied, dropping the clutch and squealing the narrow tires violently, "You'd get locked up for sure, and you know what they do to hot guys like you in prison."

Brian pointed his pistol ahead and replied "Just chase down our friend, wise-ass...he's getting away!"

"From _me_?" Allison scoffed, pulling out into oncoming traffic to pass 5 cars. "Not likely!"

Hector Demagni was a fit man, but Kara had no trouble running him down on foot. The capo saw her following, easily spotted in the turquoise waitress blouse, and tried to duck into an alley. For the powerfully built mafiosi it felt odd to be running from a teenaged girl, but after getting up from that kick Grassa gave her he knew Kara was no ordinary teen. Hector was under no delusion that he could give this girl the slip, but maybe she was dumb enough to fall into a trap.

Frustrated by her screw up just seconds ago, Kara was in full attack mode, concentrating hard on avoiding another mistake. She saw Demagni duck down the alley, and knew he'd be waiting around the corner with a gun. While he probably did not have the armor piercing rounds that could genuinely endanger her life, Kara did not relish the idea of explaining to Michele & Jean how she got herself shot on the _first day_ of a big mission.

There was a hanging sign just above the last storefront, so Kara decided to use it. She jumped, and caught the metal frame. Using her own momentum the cyborg swung her legs around the corner and saw the target 2 meters below her, aiming his pistol straight ahead. From there it was an easy matter to drop down on top of him. Demagni did not see her until it was too late, and found out quickly that his tormentor was not only tough and fast, but _heavy_. In an instant she had kicked his Beretta away and pinned both arms behind his back. Lacking any handcuffs (she'd left them in the car) Kara whipped off the turquoise blouse and wrapped it around her hands.

"Control base, this is Kara...I have my primary target" she reported into her radio, as Hector Demagni cursed & struggled.

"Copy, fixing your position, stand by" replied the Public Safety support team, "okay, we have you. A pick up van is on the way."

Kara knelt down on her captive's back and took a few deep breaths. Then she remembered the insulting proposition he'd made a few minutes earlier. The girl took his two bills from her back pocket and tossed them on the ground in front of his face. "€20? Get real, jackass. I've got tubes of lipstick that cost more than that."

Blocks away, Allison had gotten the loaner Fiat close enough for Brian to take a shot at Sallusito's Benz. In an effort to escape to familiar territory the mobster had driven toward the waterfront and the docks, which suited Brian & Allison just fine...there were less innocent bystanders to get in the way. Still, it was important to end the chase as quickly as possible. The mafiosi had already had plenty of time to call for help, so the fratello expected to run into an ambush any second now.

"Hold it as steady as you can!" ordered McDonnell. His cyborg took the best compromise between hitting potholes and swerving violently to avoid them; it was good enough for the Ulsterman to get off 3 shots. "Awww, you've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, as all his bullets hit but did little more than chip the paint, "Bulletproof!"

"That explains why he's driving such an old Benz" muttered Allison, "time to do it my way! Got your seat-belt on Brian?"

McDonnell was already wearing it (he never once forgot to buckle up since being teamed with Allison) but he gave the belt a check when he realized what his charge intended to do. Disregarding the potholes she accelerated as fast as the Fiat could move, and rammed directly into the back of the heavier Mercedes.

It did the trick. Sallusito lost control and sideswiped a warehouse wall. Her radiator already blown, Allison used the last of her Fiat's fading power to deal him one last hit. The 190E spun this time, and Sallusito jumped out. Instead of fleeing on foot, the mafiosi attacked, drawing a big revolver and blasting the Fiat. Lacking the armor of the Benz Allison & Brian were vulnerable. The cyborg steered to present her side of the car to the gunfire, instinctively shielding her handler. Sallusito charged them, and shoved his pistol in the driver's side window, straight at Brian. This was an act Allison could not tolerate...she grabbed his arm and pushed it forward to keep her handler out of the line of fire. The overheating Fiat was about to sputter its last few breaths, but by some unexplainable trust between two machines it delivered to Allison one last thrust of acceleration. She never let go of Grassa Sallusito's arm, and dragged him along to sideswipe his own battered Mercedes, tearing that arm off and crushing the screaming mobster between the two vehicles.

Both handler & cyborg were silent for a few moments, and the Fiat finally belched a last cloud of steam and died. "Bloody hell..." muttered McDonnell, "...well done!" but his cyborg did not accept his praise for herself.

"I know" sighed Allison sadly, rubbing the steering wheel "she gave her life for us. Thank you, girl." The cyborg climbed out of her window, carefully avoiding dragging her jeans through Sallusito's blood, and hopped down off the roof to run her hands across the hood of the fallen Benz and offer a few worlds of comfort (it hadn't been _his fault_, she surmised). Brian rolled his eyes but knew better than to openly mock her habit of talking to machines. After all, those machines had saved _his_ life this day.

Brian's cell phone finally rang. "McDonnell here."

"Brian, it's Ferro; that 2nd suspect...Grassa Sallusito...he's on the list too, but he's low priority. Orders are to terminate him."

"Oh..." muttered McDonnell, looking over at Sallusito's guts smeared between wrecked automobiles "...that's good to know."

**_Bank Job_**

Across town Petrushka, Agapita, Avise & Alessandro were taking time out for breakfast themselves. "So this is the famous...McDonald's." commented Avise, ingesting a tentative bite of his ham & egg sandwich.

"Mr. Mancini, are you implying you've _never_ been to a McDonald's?" replied Petra.

"There are no burger restaurants in Nasiriyah" he declared with a dramatic flourish that his colleagues has become accustomed to, but then he reconsidered and added "at least none with breakfast service."

"So this is what Scottish food is like" mused his cyborg.

Alessandro & Petra both looked at her queerly. "Scottish?" the young spy asked.

"Well the place is called _Mac_ Donald's...isn't it?" Agapita replied, "I just assumed..." The other all had a brief laugh at her expense, so with a snort of indignation she went back to munching on her own sandwich. "Well, Scottish or not, it isn't bad...although I'd have preferred pizza."

"Seriously? For breakfast?" Petrushka asked.

With a look of complete earnestness Agapita answered "Petra my dear sister, there is _absolutely_ no time of day when it is inappropriate to eat pizza."

They were an odd quartet, the ex-military man who sat straight upright in his seat, and spoke in grandiose tones, using his hands as much as his voice to make his points. Avise was used to being a center of attention, and he enjoyed the role. Contrasted against Mancini was Rissi, the sharp eyed spy who laid back lazily in his chair and enjoyed his chameleon ability to blend in with any environment. Accompanying them, the prim & somewhat breezy Agapita, whose feminine poise gave counterpoint to the martial splendor of her handler, and Petrushka, possessed a of wide eyed casual cheer that belied the attentiveness she had learned from her master. What was perhaps most odd was that this cluster of contradictions got along so well, each finding amusement in the exotic charms of the others company.

Agapita sighted the target first. "Heads up!" she whispered, stuffing the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth "The mark just pulled up in front of the bank." It was already 10:30am, and the streets were crowded.

"Fortunate," replied Sandro, "it's best that we do the grab before the lunch hour when that bank really fills up with customers."

Avise shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Does it offend your sense of law & order?" joked Rissi.

"On the contrary," laughed Mancini, "it's kind of been a daydream fantasy of mine since boyhood. Let's get to work."

The 4 exited the fast food restaurant together, crossing the street at an angle that best avoided bank security camera's. Alessandro split off and got into the car...another nondescript loaner from the Public Safety motor pool. Without a word Avise & the girls climbed the steps to the _Palermo Banca Nazionale, _and just as they reached the door yanked black balaclava's over their heads.

"Alright, get the hell down all of you, this is a robbery!" shouted Mancini, brandishing a massive Israeli Desert Eagle pistol (borrowed from Olga). He fired 3 shots straight into the air for effect, the un-silenced pistol's cannon-like boom nearly drown out by the screams of terrified patrons. Without being told the cashiers began to stack bundles of euro's on their counters. "Take a hostage!" he ordered. Agapita went straight for the target, a Cosa Nostra embezzler named Fredo Matani, approaching him from behind & and jamming her Tanfoglio automatic under his jaw.

"Oh, holy shit _bastardo_, you have no idea who you're fucking with!" growled Matani, wholly expecting his mafia connections to protect him from such inconvenient nonsense.

"Actually, we know _exactly_ who you are" whispered Agapita, "and even though you're worth more to us alive, bringing you in dead is also an option so just behave yourself; _capito_?"

The embezzler turned a shocked gaze on her. "Bring me in? Are you _cops_?" It was then that he noticed that the masked person taking him was neither a cop or a rival gangster but a _teenaged girl_...wearing a sun dress no less.

Avise & Petrushka were already backing toward the door. "Let's get moving!" shouted the handler, and his cyborg obeyed.

"Come on, you heard the boss" she told Matini, dragging to his feet. The uncooperative mafiosi tried to drag his feet, but was amazed at the power with which this thin girl pulled him along with. Mancini exited first, followed by Agapita & her captive...Petrushka fired a few rounds into the bank for good measure before she too made good her escape.

As the 3, dragging along their mark stepped outside the bank Alessandro drove up, coming to a fast but controlled halt right in front of the main steps. At that same moment Avise & the girls yanked off their balaclavas and hid the weapons, working hard to cause the least conspicuous public scene possible. Mancini did not make an attempt to help muscle Fredo down the steps and into the car, he knew that was a task the cyborgs could handle better themselves. He dashed ahead and opened the door, sliding in and across to the opposite seat. Matani was unceremoniously tossed in next, with Agapita following him and slamming the door behind herself.

Once Petra took the front passenger seat her handler swung the Lancia out into traffic for their getaway. Red faced with rage, Fredo Matani cursed at them viciously; "I don't know who you fuckers are, but once the bosses hear about this I'm gonna laugh at you shitheads while they feed you to the goddamn pigs!"

Petrushka carefully handed 'Pita a wet rag, which she accepted with care. "You shouldn't blaspheme...you're going to need all the help you can get soon" advised the girl, pressing the ether to his face. In seconds Matani was out cold, and the Section 2 quartet laughed out loud at their adventure.

"Unbelievable..." exclaimed Mancini, releasing his excitement with a heavy sigh of relief, "...if you'd ever told me I'd bust into a bank waving a gun and shouting about a robbery I'd have called you mad!"

"With _blanks_ no less!" Petra added, "We managed to fake a bank robbery, grab our mark, and get out with _fake_ bullets!" It was true...the only weapon loaded with actual rounds had been Avise's old Webley, tucked into the a hidden holster under his arm.

Police arrived at the bank within minutes, just as all of the staff were coming to the confusing conclusion that _no money_ had been taken. Just as the reports were being filed, a smartly dressed woman with short dark hair came in, flashed the correct credentials, and commandeered all of the security camera recordings & witness reports for an "_on-going government investigation_." She was gone as soon as she had them, loaded into two heavy boxes, which a very young blonde girl with an odd haircut helped her carry out the door.

**_Trip to the Beach_**

With their car destroyed, and Public Safety not very happy about it, Kara, Brian & Allison decided to take the bus back to field headquarters rather than ask for a replacement auto. This was a novel experience for Kara, who had never ridden a public bus, but for Allison is was frustrating not being behind the wheel. She hovered near the front, staring over the increasingly irritated driver's shoulder, asking questions until be finally lost his temper and ordered her "_Behind the yellow line_!"

Upon arrival at their 4th floor headquarters they found only Michele, Jean & Claes, all working on the next round of targets. "My brother is on a stake-out with Henrietta," explained the Field Commander, "Avise & Alessandro are picking up an embezzler & money launderer, I sent Rico to help Ferro with the cover-up. Olga & Priscilla are getting some rest, they've been up just as long as any of us."

"How about Alboreto & Marisa?" inquired McDonnell.

Jean handed Brian a sheet with some directions and replied "I need you to go back them up."

Brian gave a tired sigh...he'd been up all night with the rest of them and was really hoping for some rest. Jean did not pick up on his fatigue, but Michele caught on. "Let me take this, Jean, I had a nap on the boat while the docs set things up. Brian, you ought to get some rack time. Kara, you're up to another job, right?"

"Right-O, guv." she answered, borrowing a phrase she'd leaned from Monty.

"I'm ready to go again as well," added Allison, hopefully "we cyborgs all got a full sleep last night."

"Fine," muttered Jean, who was showing the strain of nearly a 2 days awake himself, "Brian, you go catch a couple hours of rack-time...Michele, take Kara & Allison

down to the beach to help out Elio."

"I'll need a car," pointed out Pagani, "my Lamborghini only seats 2."

"Just take that Public Safety loaner McDonnell brought back" Croce told him.

Brian, Kara & Allison all cringed...apparently word had not yet reached the Field Commander that the Fiat had sacrificed itself nobly for the the republic. "Eh, about that car...I've got to brief Pagani before he leaves...Allison; you explain what happened to Mr. Croce."

The brunette cyborg's jaw dropped in horror as her own handler hung her out to dry, leaving her to face the full brunt of an already tired & irritable Jean Croce. "W-whaaa?...but...but!" she stammered, but Brian had already retreated to the safety of the men's bedroom.

"How was Kara?" asked Michele, grabbing his beach sandals out of his travel bag.

McDonnell nodded approvingly, "She did great, caught the primary target all by herself while Allie & I were off destroying that Fiat."

"Huh?" Michele replied, who had been planning on using _that Fiat_.

"Long story, we kinda...crushed...a secondary target with it" Brian assured him, "but your Kara was not involved."

"Glad to hear it" muttered Pagani. About then they both heard Jean yelling from the living room, and Allison's voice raise as well in a frantic attempt to explain. "You go ahead and get some rest, Brian, I'll go smooth things over with Jean."

* * *

Michele did have to take the Gallardo, with Kara sitting in the slightly taller Allison's lap. They easily found the van in the parking lot, and located Elio seated at a cabana bar, watching the sea. He was a little surprised to see such a large contingent come to assist him. "Oh, hi Michele...ladies, Jean didn't tell me he was sending a fratello and a half. There really isn't much to do."

"What can we help you with Mr. A?" asked Allison, earning her a nervous glance of disapproval from Kara. Among the cyborgs, only Allison dared call Alboreto _Mr. A_ like some of the the adult staff members did. He did not seem to notice her informality.

"Well," muttered Elio, "Sit down, order a drink or something, this is pretty much Marisa's game. We're all just here to provide back-up if any of the marks get away."

Nobody needed to tell Allison twice. She immediately got the bartender's attention and called for 4 hot coffee's. "How about the rest of you?" she asked, "Want any?"

Alboreto laughed, glad his own cyborg was not a acolyte of the coffee religion. She was hard enough to keep in check as it was. "See that schooner out there? The white hulled one about 150 meters out."

Kara gave a glance out across the water and asked "_Venus Palermo_?"

The two men, not possessing the advantage of cyborg vision, traded binoculars back and forth, Elio confirming "Yes...and it's just _Venus_. Palermo is the home port. Anyway, there are 6 targets on board, all marked for termination. Marisa should be under that boat by now."

Allison practically spit out the contents of her first coffee. "She's gonna take on _6 of them_?"

Mari's handler shrugged and replied "If it was on dry land I'd agree with you, and wouldn't allow her to do it, but out on the water she's _damned_ efficient."

Pagani peered through the binoculars again, "I thought you said there were 6."

"There were" Kara said, "I saw them just a few seconds ago." She strained to see the missing man, but could not find him either, "Did I count wrong?" she wondered out loud.

"Not at all" chuckled Alboreto, taking a sip of his coffee "looks like Mari has gone to work already."

2 minutes passed, with all 4 of the shore party watching the deck intently. The other 5 mafiosi were lounging about, drinking wine and holding fishing poles without any real expectation of catching anything. "Oh! Oh! I saw it that time!" Allison exclaimed, "Up near the front of the boat!"

"What! I missed it again?" complained Kara. There was no doubt; there were only 4 men on board this time, and the water's surface was rippling near the bow. 2 minutes later Kara finally got to see it. There was a splash, and Marisa jumped out of the water just high enough to snag one of her targets with a length of piano wire. He fell to the deck, clawing at the wire in a desperate fight for his life, but the red-haired cyborg dragged him under with a minimum of difficulty. "She's cutting them up down there, isn't she?" asked Kara.

Elio nodded. "Working this fast...one every 2 minutes, she isn't just letting them drown. It's about 17 meters deep out there, so she's probably pinning them up against the hull of the schooner and finishing them with her knife." Everyone watching felt a chill run down their spine.

By this time the 3 remaining men knew something was amiss. One went into the cabin below to look for their missing friends, while the other two looked overboard to see if they'd fallen in. That made Marisa's job even easier. Hanging overboard the mafiosi made easy targets, and a 4th was dragged under to his death. This time his partner saw the splash, and ran over, too late. From their vantage point on the beach Michele, Kara, Allison & Elio could see him yelling for his cohort down below. Marisa did not wait two minutes like before, she exploded upward out of the water and slashed the 5th man with her knife. With a scream, he fell in, and was dragged under by the miniature assassin.

One mafiosi remained, and hearing the scream he rushed on deck with a gun. Swinging the pistol all around with panicked abruptness, he searched for the unseen killer. The last man never saw Mari climb up on the fan-tail and rush him from behind. Tourists on the beach, enjoying the last few days of autumn sun, noticed the splash but thought nothing of it. The Section Two members watching from the cabana knew different...6 men had just been assassinated in plain view of a public beach and no one had even noticed. "That was _scary_!" laughed Kara.

"Remind me never to sneak up on her in the bath-tub" added Allison.

Minutes later, Mari swam up to the beach, shaking herself off and knocking water out of her ears, looking every bit like any ordinary kid coming in from a swim. She scampered out of the shallows & up the beach, shivering as she met Elio and the others. Her handler wrapped a sun-warmed towel around her shoulders and asked "How did it go?"

"Mission successful" she reported, "all 6 of them dead, and I checked over the boat for unexpected targets after taking care of the bodies."

"What did you do with the bodies?" Alboreto asked. The questions were rhetorical making up what amounted to a final checklist for the job.

Mari pointed out to the bay and answered, "I tied them up under that channel buoy, so we can go collect them after nightfall."

"Did you have any problems?" asked Michele.

"That 4th one almost blew it for me, so I tied #3 to the prop shaft with my piano wire and let him drown on his own. That left me with only the knife to finish the others off."

"And where did you leave the knife?" Elio inquired. It was the first question that he genuinely did not know the answer to.

The red-haired girl issued a wicked smile and replied "I left it between the ribs of the last one...I didn't want to walk up on the beach carrying a big dive knife."

Her handler gave an approving smile, and a congratulatory tussle of her wet hair. "Good job...unless 'Etta goes on another high-score killing rampage on her stakeout I think you top the leader-board so far. Go ahead and rinse the salt off over at that public shower and we'll all go grab a bite before checking in with Jean. You can change into some dry clothes in the van. Anyone have an suggestion for lunch?"

"Something hot!" Marisa replied quickly, her teeth still chattering.

**_Ferro & Rico_**

Ferro & Rico did not talk much as she drove back to field headquarters. Despite having worked on the cyborg project since its inception she had never actually made small talk with one of the girls, and she did not know where to start. Even when she had escorted Rico & Henrietta down to Taormina for a holiday with their fratelli she had not engaged either of them in social conversation.

For her part Rico kept silent as well. Like most of the girls she found Ms. Ferro a little bit intimidating...the strict martin-ette of the agency whose _White Glove of Detention_ (seen only on room inspection days) was feared more than any Padania terrorist. The blonde girl quietly amused herself by staring out the window and trying to imagine what people did for a living based on their clothing alone.

"So, Rico..." Ferro finally ventured, finding the silence between them uncomfortable, "...how are you doing? Are you enjoying this mission?"

"I haven't really done anything but help carry boxes yet ma'am" she replied. "Jean is very busy, so I haven't been out to work with him yet."

Ferro nodded and said "You're right, he is very busy. Maybe after he gets some rest he'll be ready to go chase some bad guys with you."

"I hope so" chirped Rico, "I like feeling useful. Anyway, it's fun sleeping in a big room with all the other girls. I get lonely sleeping alone when Henrietta is gone."

The woman looked down at Rico and thought for a minute. "Rico, it's getting past noon, do you feel like stopping for some lunch? We could bring some back to Jean and the others too."

Surprised by Ms. Ferro's unexpected friendliness & informality it took the cyborg a few seconds to reply "Ummm...sure." She pointed out the window and added "Maybe we should take care of him first."

"Who?" asked Ferro, not really paying that much attention.

Rico pointed out a blonde haired man who did not look Sicilian sitting at an outdoor cafe. "That man...he's one of our targets."

Ferro slammed on the Ford Mondeo's brakes and swerved to the side of the road, receiving an angry yell from a woman on a Piaggio scooter whom she had nearly cut off. "How do you know, Rico?"

"I looked at your list of targets while you & Jean were working" answered the girl, cringing a little, "I was kinda bored...I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't apologize, that was very good. Do you remember his name?"

"Umm...no...it was a funny name though" Rico answered, placing her fingertip to her chin, as if in deep thought "like something from another country or language. But I'm _sure_ I've seen his face."

The woman paused to think for a second. "Alright..." she began, "...Rico, I need you to get his picture for me." She handed the cyborg her camera phone and instructed, "Don't let him see you doing it. You have your pistol, right?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Okay, don't engage him unless he attacks you. If he does spot you, run." ordered Ferro. "I'll go one block ahead and wait for you there. Here's a euro; if we get separated you find a pay telephone & call Jean at Field Headquarters. You know the number, right?"

"Yes ma'am...I'll do my best."

As Rico hopped out of the automobile Ferro felt a flush of excitement. She was utilizing a cyborg on a mission. As she pulled the Ford back into traffic and parked a block away Ferro wondered what it would feel like to have a cyborg of her own. The famously stoic ex-policewoman allowed herself to daydream for a moment and was startled when Rico rapped her knuckles on the passenger window. Ferro rolled it down so she could hand the telephone back. "I got 3 photo's ma'am, if they're not good enough I could go back and try again."

"These are excellent, Rico" Ferro praised, unlocking the door to allow her in. She quickly dialed the Field HQ.

"_Buon pomeriggio_, Tourism Promotions Office, Palermo Branch" replied a girl's voice on the other end of the line.

"Claes, that's Tourism Promotions _Agency_, Palermo _Office_" corrected Ferro, "These codes mean something after all."

"Sorry Ms. Ferro, I'll write that down" apologized Claes. "What can I help you with?"

"Is Jean there?" she asked.

Claes seemed to pause for a moment, awkwardly unsure what to say. She lowered her voice to a whisper and replied "He's busy yelling at Allison right now...something about a car we borrowed from Public Safety. Oh, good...Mr. Pagani is coming out to help her."

"I don't have time to wait for Jean...I'm sending you 3 photos of a man Rico believes is one of out targets" explained the agent, "I need you to look through our list and identify him. Rico says he might have a foreign sounding name."

"Yes ma'am...stand by please." Less than a minute passed, and Claes was back on the line. "Rico is right. These photos match an assassin named Helmut Beicher, a German. He's a mid-priority target marked for termination."

"Good work Claes, now call Public Safety and get a cleaner crew to our neighborhood. I'm e-mailing you our location." Ferro turned to Rico and gave her a rare smile. "You were right...ready for a mission?"

"Of course Ms. Ferro!" chirped the smiling cyborg.

Ferro walked down the street toward her target. It would be difficult to kill a target in broad daylight on a city street, so her plan was to flush Beicher out and hope he ran to an area he considered isolated & safe. It was dangerous, Beicher was a trained assassin and Ferro did not have Rico by her side as a safety net. She gave her H&K pistol a final check...round chambered, safety off...and with a deep breath approached her target.

"Helmut Beicher..." she said, in her usual authoritative voice. The German did not look up from his newspaper. "Herr Beicher I am with the Rome Police department."

"Are you talking to me?" he asked in an annoyed tone, "My name is Adolph Kierkirch, and I have never been to Rome."

"Herr Beicher, you are wanted for questioning, I'm sure you do not wish to cause an embarrassing public scene so if you would come with me."

"I have told you I am not this Beicher you speak of!" snapped the man, "Now kindly leave me alone."

Ferro turned her head and spoke into her cell phone, cupping it in her hand so he could not see that it wasn't a radio. "Sniper teams one & two, wait for my order." The assassin's eyes perked to attention, betraying his true identity. Any normal citizen would have panicked upon learning 2 snipers were focused on his person, but Beicher played it cool. Ferro turned back to him and calmly said "Sir, I give you one final chance to come along peacefully." She then took a massive risk, and shifted her eyes off the mark to look toward the roof behind him, giving a nod to imaginary snipers that waited there for her order.

Beicher fell for the bluff. He threw his table over and sprinted right into the cafe. "Damn!" growled Ferro. It had all gone to plan until that moment. She'd hoped he would run down the street, and into an alley where Rico could run the assassin down and eliminate him. "Rico! Go!"

She had been hiding behind the car, but at Ferro's command the cyborg burst from her hiding place like a quarter-horse out of the gates. "I'll get him!" she promised, passing the grown woman & customers so fast they felt lucky not to be sucked into her vacuum. While the German forced his way to the back exit, knocking down staff & patrons of the cafe, Rico dodged and changed direction with unbelievable speed, and it was impossible for Ferro to keep up.

Outside the back door was a trash-filled courtyard with only one access point for the garbage truck. Instead of taking the obvious escape route, Helmut Beicher leapt up and caught the fire escape, climbing up the side of the 5 story building. Again he was no match for the speed of Rico, who got above than the assassin on her first jump and scrambled even higher to get into a good firing position. Beicher was no easy target though...he whipped out a Glock and opened fire on his tormenter, causing the young cyborg to instinctively cover her vulnerable eyes with her left forearm. She caught one bullet in that forearm; nothing the doctors aboard _Bright Star_ couldn't fix in minutes, but it did cause her to lose grip and fall off the fire escape she clung to.

Ferro arrived just in time to see Rico get hit, and fall from the 4th floor. She gasped and immediately regretted going ahead without calling for back-up. _How am I gonna explain to Jean that I went out to pick up some evidence and ended up getting his cyborg killed? _Rico surprised her though, by catching the second floor fire escape where Beicher stood. Tossing her CZ away (Ferro ran up and managed to catch it) the girl grabbed her target by the jacket and flipped over backwards, tossing him over herself as they tumbled to the pavement below. The pair hit with a heavy thud, the grown man on bottom stunned and in paralyzing pain from the 1 story fall. His hesitation was all Rico needed; she yanked up her trouser leg & produced a folding pocket knife out of her boot. With a brutal shove she punched it into the assassin's skull and Helmut Beicher lay dead.

"Rico that was excellent work!" congratulated an exultant Ferro.

"You really think so?" she asked. Jean usually found some flaw in her work, no matter how hard she tried, and so she was caught off guard by praise from the usually rigid & strict Ferro. _What is it I'm supposed to say? _"Umm...thank you ma'am." Just then, triggered by a rumble of her stomach the cyborg remembered a more important question. "Are we still going to stop for lunch?"

"Of course Rico," replied Ferro, stifling a laugh at how casual she was even with a dead assassin at her feet, "in fact, I think you should get to chose the restaurant."

Rico leaned back and brought a finger to her chin...her usual "thinking pose." _Grown-ups always make things difficult._

* * *

Allison was slightly miffed at losing her seat in the Gallardo for the ride to the lunch spot, but at least she got to drive the van. Her eagerness to impress Mr. Alboreto, whom she considered one of the "car guys" of the agency (he _had_ after all run countless laps at the fearsome Nurburgring racetrack in Germany) unfortunately turned to disappointment when he fell asleep in the passenger seat almost immediately.

"Elio was up all night with the rest of the grown-ups" whispered Mari.

Allison nodded, and replied "Best to let him get some rest I suppose." The two cyborgs conversed quietly for the rest of the ride...Marisa eager to hear the story of Allison's morning destruction of two automobiles.

A few minutes later the Gallardo & the van pulled into a pizzeria parking lot right next to a silver Lancia Lybra. "Good," observed Michele with a satisfied smile, "Mancini & his bunch are already here...hopefully they got a table already." He & Kara climbed out of the low slung car, and the 5 of them walked to the front door, a yawning Elio taking up the rear. Just as Pagani had hoped, Avise, Alessandro, Agapita & Petra had already staked out a good spot neat the window. With a wave Rissi summoned the new arrivals to the table. As they took their seats Elio & Michele regarded the Avise/Sandro fratelli alliance with raised eyebrows. "That's as unlikely a union as I could have imagined" whispered Pagani, "but they seem to be getting along great" to which Alboreto nodded his assent.

"Did you order yet?" asked Kara.

Petrushka laughed a little, so Sandro answered for her; "Yes we ordered...we left it to the _buongustai della pizza_ of the group and she took care of it all." He motioned toward Agapita, who sat calmly sipping a soft drink, seeing nothing but honor in the appellation. "You all just have to order your drinks."

"Want to keep it simple and just get a few pitchers of cola?" suggested Avise, "Our waitress appears to be a proper dingbat so it might be advisable to limit the amount she can get wrong."

"And one _hot_ tea!" Marisa added with an upraised finger, still shivering.

* * *

Jean had dozed off on the couch, and Olga did not wake him. She & Claes worked as quietly as they could, all 4 telephones on the table set to vibrate when a call came in. It was the first sleep anyone had seen the Field Commander get in over two days. Still sitting upright, but with his head leaned back and mouth agape Croce was barely recognizable as the hard-driving taskmaster he was while awake.

Tip-toeing close to him in slippers, Priscilla leaned over to loosen Jean's neck-tie, and unfasten the top button of his shirt. "Careful" warned Olga, "you wake him up now you might never get him back to sleep." All 3 women laughed quietly. None of them had ever cared for a baby, but imagining the vicious Jean Croce as one presented an amusing picture.

The Commander's respite was short lived. The front door was flung open, admitting Rico & Ferro, both them laden down with boxes. "We brought food!" the young cyborg trumpeted before Claes & Olga could _shush_ her. Jean was stirred into foggy consciousness, just in time to catch Priscilla fumbling with his shirt button. An awkward moment passed as the two just stared at each other.

"Ummm...I was just...you were sleeping...and I..." the mortified intel analyst tried to explain, but Jean just sat up, rubbed his face and pretended as if nothing had ever happened.

Seeing that the table was full Ferro deposited boxes of confiscated evidence from Mancini & Rissi's "bank job" on the floor. The residential apartment Public Safety had provided was proving to be a poor office space. "I'll need all this sorted, copied, annotated, and then incinerated" she told the others. Priscilla & Claes groaned in unison. It all seemed ridiculous & pointless, but they were both familiar enough with how the government, and by extension Ferro, worked not to gripe about it.

Oblivious to the stacks of paperwork Rico laid out boxes of take out food on the kitchen counter. She motioned for Claes, Olga & Priscilla to come dig in themselves, but dashed over to deliver lunch to Jean herself. "Here..." she offered him an aluminum take-out container with a broad smile, "...this is _really good_, but if you don't like it we got other stuff!"

"Good timing" muttered Croce, shaking off his sleepiness. As he'd learned in the Carabinieri _when you can't get sleep, food is the next best thing to keep you going for a few more hours_. While it had not exactly been praise or a compliment, Rico was exultant over her handler's approval. Jean pulled off the lid, and his eyes perked up with surprise. "Ferro...excellent choice...thank you" he called out, but she quickly corrected him.

"It wasn't my choice...Rico picked the restaurant."

Croce looked upon his smiling cyborg with bewilderment. "_You_ chose Thai food?" he asked. He'd always assumed it would be far too spicy for her.

"Yep!" she beamed, "I had it with Mr. Theuma & Dona once when you loaned me to him for that sniper mission in Torino. I _really_ liked it, but the dining hall never makes anything like it." Her handler just sat there, staring at her with a faraway look in his eyes, and it began to make Rico worry. "Do you not like Thailand food, Sir?"

"No...I do like it...I like it very much," he muttered, "I just didn't know you enjoyed it." Croce was caught off guard by this eerie coincidence for which there was no explanation. He had never given much consideration to what his cyborg liked and didn't like...she always seemed to eat whatever was put in front of her. An occasional stop at his favorite Thai restaurant was one of Jean's few indulgences back in Rome, but he had never taken Rico along. For a cyborg to have independently developed the same culinary tastes as her handler...there was no explanation Croce could come up with. It made him think though, deeply.

For her part Rico was free of such deep thoughts, she was just happy to have successfully picked out something her handler liked. This was turning out to be a very good day. "They had chop-sticks at the restaurant, but when I tried them I just made a mess," explained the cyborg, "so I brought plastic forks along too."

**_Cleaning Up_**

As soon as night fell and the beaches emptied of their sun worshipers Marisa & Elio returned to the water to complete their grizzly task. A Public Safety launch, with two crewmen, ferried the fratello out to the buoy where Mari had stored her victims. It was now time to clean up, to recover 6 bodies waiting below in the dark waters.

For this part of the operation Elio & Marisa used regular open circuit SCUBA gear...they were not going deep, and concealing their bubbles was not an issue here. "Ready?" asked the handler.

"Ready" confirmed his charge, she took a step and splashed in feet first.

As they swam up to the buoy Elio scanned up and down the mooring line with a wrist mounted light. Although the old spy was ready for what he knew was down there, the sight of a corpse underwater had always been a bit unnerving to him. Perhaps it was how the harsh white dive lights seemed to exaggerate the pallor of death, or that every body, no matter how fresh, always seemed to be picked at by marine life before he got to it. He knew these were irrational hang-ups, but for whatever reason Elio Alboreto preferred to pass the body recovery jobs to others when he could.

Marisa had no such compunctions about the task at hand. She located the bodies, hanging like a stringer of fish, right where she'd left them, and proudly posed with them, as if she expected her handler to take a photograph. Elio rolled his eyes and gave her a _let's get on with it_ signal. Just as he had expected, the bodies where white as marble, and a crab was busy feasting in one empty eye socket.

A half hour later the approach of underwater lights signaled the Public Safety boat crew that their Section 2 partners had completed the task. The gray bearded man and the freckled cyborg girl surfaced, towing behind them 6 loaded body-bags...orange mesh nylon to let the water drain out. Getting a grip on the first one they grunted and strained to drag it on deck, until with a groan of annoyance the cyborg girl said "Oh, just let me do it!" With a helping hand from one of the PS men she climbed up onto the boat and one by one tossed each body-bag on deck, never even taking her harness & tank off. She then reached down and pulled her supervisor out...a grown man who looked 3 times her size. They looked at each-other in astonishment, unsure if it was appropriate to comment on the mechanical girl's amazing powers.

"I think we're done here" announced Alboreto, as soon as he had pulled his regulator from his mouth.

"Yes Sir" replied the taller of the two men, as his partner fired up the twin engines, "by the way...your phone was ringing while you were below."

With a nod Elio picked it up, and quickly re-dialed the Field HQ. Mancini answered. "Alboreto, how did the body search go?"

"Not much of a search" he admitted, "they were right where Mari left them. How are things going over there?"

"Jean has finally gone to bed so things are calming down some." explained Avise, "Listen, are you and your girl up for another take-down tonight?"

Every muscle in Alboreto's body protested. Aside from the few minutes of rest he'd gotten while Allison drove the van to lunch he had not slept in 2 days. Marisa sat shivering on the bench, showing palpable signs of fatigue herself. It was getting late, and cold dives sapped the energy from her small body quickly. Whatever Avise needed, Elio would do alone. "I'm ready...but my cyborg needs rest."

"Okay," Mancini replied, "I just need someone to go help out Giuseppe...he's been stuck on that stakeout all day. Maybe the two of you can work out some schedule and both get some mattress time. Do you want us to wake up Olga to come pick up Marisa?"

"No, we're out on the water already," said Elio, "I'm just going to have these Public Safety guys drop me at the dock and then take Mari out to _Bright Star_. I'm sure Pagani has room for her."

"Copy that" Mancini acknowledged, "give us a call if anything changes...somebody here will be up all night to take your call...hopefully _not me_. Good luck and God preserve you."

"Right back at you there, Monsignor" answered Alboreto, trying not to sound too sarcastic about something his colleague held important. Chilling water, no sleep, and the promise of another long night had made the old spy irritable, so he had to be extra careful not to offend.

"What's going on?" Marisa piped up.

As he dialed Michele's number Elio answered, "I'm going to see how Giuseppe Croce & 'Etta are doing on the stakeout."

Mari curled into a tighter ball and groaned "Awww man."

"You don't have to go" he assured his tired trainee, "I'm calling Mr. Pagani right now...I'm sure he has an open cabin for you aboard his boat, how does that sound?"

With a yawn, Marisa strengthened her resolve. "I'm your partner...your cyborg, I should go with _you_."

"It's just going to be a long, boring stakeout," Alboreto tried to talk her out of it, "in all likelihood _nothing_ is going to happen. Would you rather have that...sharing a bunk with Henrietta...or a night aboard Mr. Pagani's yacht?"

The red-headed cyborg's human psyche played a tug-of-war for few moments, but in the end she admitted that fatigue had her beaten. "You won't think I'm a wimp if I chose the yacht...will you?" she sighed.

"I only wish _I_ could chose it" the handler assured her.

* * *

Refreshed by his afternoon nap, Brian was the more alert on in his car. He and Allison were re-united, and for once the handler was at the wheel. They were driving the silver 2006 Lancia Lybra which the Mancini & Rissi fratelli had used earlier in the day. The cyborg sat in the passenger seat with a city street map resting in her lap, catching a few precious moments of sleep whenever the mark that they were tailing stopped to go inside a building. She was tasked with marking every address he stopped at on her map, and tracing out the exact route they took. Allison had complained; stating that this was work for the brain-dead not a multi-million euro cyborg and her highly trained handler, and that this guy was not even on the list of targets (an add-on from Public Safety), but Ferro quickly pointed out that after crashing one of Public Safety's loaner cars already it might be a _good idea_ to do them a few extra favors.

"Allie...wake up kiddo," said McDonnell, shaking his partner, as he started the 1.8 liter engine, "he's on the move again."

"*_yawn_* 'kay," she muttered, stretching out and pulling the cap off a black marker with her teeth. Brian kept a safe distance, tailing the target as Allison marked his route. "What is this guy up to anyway?"

"Ferro says he's a heroin courier" explained the man, "he's making drops...we're to tail him to his supplier, and report. Hopefully we can take the whole place down."

Allison yawned. "Hopefully it won't take all night."

**_No Coffee_**

Alboreto arrived at the stakeout apartment via taxi. There had been plenty of police cars available from which he could have commandeered a ride, but he decided against that. Showing up at a stakeout location in a police car was a stupidity beyond anything that could be blamed on fatigue. He climbed the 3 flights of stairs, checked the door number and knocked out the pre-arranged code, one loud knock, 2 soft. "I'm looking for Tazio" he called out.

"Signor Nuvolari is not here right now" came the counter-code. In a few moments Giuseppe Croce opened the door. Putting a finger to his lips he entreated his older colleague to a degree of silence, pointing out Henrietta sleeping on the room's one metal spring bed, still dressed in her rumpled clothes. Alboreto nodded his accent, and the two men went to the window where they could speak. "She was up helping me all day, but when night fell she just had to get some rest" Giuse explained. "Where is your Marisa?"

"Same issue," Elio replied, "she'd been up all day, plus two cold dives. I sent her to Pagani's yacht to sleep. These girls can do spectacular things, but when they're too tired to concentrate the performance falls right off the chart and they can become a liability. When that happens I prefer to work alone."

Giuseppe shrugged his shoulders and added "I just didn't have the heart to force Henrietta to stay awake any longer. She really tried hard, but she was nodding off on watch."

"Speaking of which, why don't you go catch a few winks?" suggested Alboreto, "You've been staring at that apartment all day."

"_I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired to ask what you offer_..." joked Croce, quoting a book he knew Marisa was reading, "...but what about you? You've been up easily as long as I have."

"You take an hour or two then relieve me" instructed Elio, tipping the other man's chair to usher him out of it. It did not matter that Giuse was, in terms of seniority, the #3 handler at the agency, and Alboreto was a relative newcomer...it was clear that the older man was giving the orders, and Croce was in no mood to object.

Once his fellow handler had settled in beside his sleeping cyborg Elio settled in to the chair beside the window. A brief search of the room yielded no coffee (he resolved to send Henrietta out to buy a cheap electric pot if this stakeout continued on into tomorrow) so the old spy opened the window a bit and made do with a cigar he'd been saving for a quiet moment, and aside from the soft whistle of 'Etta's breathing all was quiet.

* * *

"Alright, he's gone inside again, try to get a couple minutes of rest" instructed Brian, who got no argument from his yawning cyborg.

Allison capped her marker and pulled the recline lever on her seat, but popped up in a flash, wide-eyed and alert. "Brian! There's a infrared beam lighting us up!"

"Where?" Not thinking for a second McDonnell looked for it, feeling a bit foolish when he remembered that infrared light was invisible to his non-cyborg eyes. The Ulsterman fired up the Lancia and threw it in reverse, sure that they had been spotted. "Damn it, we were careful as hell, how did they make us? Get down...it could be a targeting beam for a night-vision scope!"

"No!" replied Allison, reaching over and throwing the car out of gear, "I mean...it _is_ a targeting beam...but...it's flashing us, like someone is trying to get our attention."

Brian stared up at the building. "Who?" His mind raced with possibilities. Was this heroin ring somehow aware that cyborgs had their scent? Was it a trap to get one to reveal herself? _Are we going to get out of this alive?_

The girl turned his head and pointed. "It's not coming from the building our mark entered...it's coming from across the street!"

"What the hell is going on?" McDonnell growled, drawing out his Kimber and chambering a round. Just then his mobile phone rang, causing both he & Allison to jump out of their skins. He let it ring a few times, considering all the angles.

Allison waved her hands in frustration. "Brian! Answer it!" Taking a deep breath, her handler hit the green button to accept the call, and placed the phone to his ear.

"This is McDonnell."

"Thought so" replied a rumbling voice that spoke English, "Alboreto here...I know your cyborg can see me signaling you."

"Jesus bloody Christ Elio, you scared the shite out of us!" laughed Brian, "What's going on? What are you doing here?"

"This is Giuse Croce's stakeout location, I'm just filling in so he can get some sleep...what are you doing here?"

"Tailing a heroin courier," replied McDonnell, "favor for the PS lads."

"Listen...leave Allison to watch the door and come on up here." Elio told him, "There's a good chance we're both after the same flat. We're in 4-D...be quiet, Croce and his girl are both asleep."

Brian terminated the call and turned to his partner, who had heard every word with her cyborg ears. "Get your Tavor ready and wait here. There's a good chance we're going to make the attack right now, with support from Elio & Giuse's fratelli."

"Good," yawned Allison, "I don't wanna be up all night."

* * *

"Looking for Tazio" whispered Brian.

Elio tossed open the door before he'd even spoken the counter-code. "Yeah, yeah...Mister Nuvolari isn't here. Come take a look through the scope and see if this is your guy."

McDonnell tip-toed over to the familiar Zeiss scope (Special Operations had dozens of the things), careful not to wake the sleeping Croce fratello. There were 5 men in the room, all drinking wine and laughing. "Yair...one is my target. The younger guy with the black hair."

"They all look young to me" grumbled Alboreto. "The guy with the shaved head is our primary target...a Padania informant. He's been taking photos of the Messina Bridge construction every week and sending them to Milan. Bastard specializes in taking high-resolution zoom photos of the security forces, so the PRF can identify them and threaten their families."

"Terminate?" asked Brian.

Elio nodded. "Oh yeah. No question."

The red-haired man gave a chuckle and muttered "You ought to let Marisa finish that wanker off with a claw hammer or something. Where is she anyway?"

"Aboard Pagani's yacht. She was beat...I had to give her some rest." Alboreto explained, "Actually, if that place is full of heroin I'm glad she's not here."

"Why's that?" inquired McDonnell.

"You've been to Dublin, right?"

"Of course," the Irishman replied "I've partied all over that town."

His English counterpart continued; "How about the Sheriffer neighborhood?"

Brian wrinkled his nose. "Hell no...nothing but whores and junkies down there."

"Well Mari's mum was both" explained Alboreto. "We got her from Dublin, she lived her first 9 years in a filthy heroin den. You can see why I'm not anxious to throw her into a situation like that."

"Understood" muttered Brian, nodding his head, "that sort of thing could trigger a bad memory response like Allison and her lorries. Well, we've got enough even without her. My lass is ready to go down there...plus we have Henrietta and us 3 gents. Legend has it you made quite a name for yourself busting drug dens back when you were still with the Ministry."

"Eh...yeah...I did a few" Elio replied sheepishly. That hadn't been the finest period in his life but it was not an appropriate the time to admit to his colleague that he'd only been doing the raids so he could steal narcotics for his own use. "Let's get Giuseppe & Henrietta ready."

Croce was surprised to be roused from his sleep by Brian McDonnell, but he rolled out of bed with a minimum of trauma. 3 hours of rest had done him a world of good. Giuse shook his cyborg, who awoke with a start. "Henrietta...Mr. Alboreto, Mr. McDonnell and Allison are all here. We're going to make an assault, get ready."

In a flash the girl prepared for battle in her own unique way. She straightened her bangs, smoothed the wrinkles from her clothes, and pulled up her sagging socks before yanking the violin case from under the bed and extracting her P90. After a quick check of the weapon she reported "I'm ready Giuse!"

"Whoa..." Giuseppe coughed, waving his hand in front of his face, "...dragon breath! Go brush your teeth first...we don't want to be accused of using a toxic chemical weapon." Pink faced with embarrassment, the young cyborg dashed off to remedy the situation.

**_Collateral Damage_**

As the 2 girls and 3 men crept up to the door they were relieved to hear the sounds of drinking & merriment continue from within the apartment. The targets had no idea they were being hunted, and that would make things easier.

"We'll do this just like we've always done it," whispered Giuseppe softly, "are you ready Henrietta?"

"Yes Sir." The diminutive cyborg gave her P90 one last check and chambered a round, sliding the bolt slowly to make the minimum noise possible. Alboreto, McDonnell & Allison all stayed in the shadows with weapons ready, but they deferred the job on getting the door open to the experts. Croce knocked. When no response came he knocked again, louder this time. 'Etta stood to his right, listening intently. "One set of footsteps...I don't hear a gun cocking" she whispered, moving her finger to the trigger of her machine gun.

"Steady Henrietta..." warned her handler in a calming voice. She always got skittish when he put himself in the potential line of fire, and when she was like that mistakes happened.

The door opened, but was still chained from the inside. "What the hell do you want?" demanded the dark haired man whom Allison & Brian had been tailing all night. Giuse could smell his breath all the way into the hallway, it was much worse that his cyborg's has been.

"I'm sorry my battery has gone dead and your window was the only one with a light still on," Croce explained with an embarrassed laugh, "do you mind giving me a jump start, or at least let me call a tow-truck?"

"This is none of my business; get the hell out of here" the man snapped, and attempted to slam the door, but Giuseppe had already positioned his toe to block it. "You _bastardo grassetto_, do you think I'm fucking around?" He threw the safety chain off and advanced into the hallway, brandishing a Glock pistol. That was all the motivation Henrietta needed...as soon as her target was in the hallway she fired one round, which exploded through the man's temple and out the opposite side of his skull. At that same instant, Brian & Allison stormed the room, followed closely by Alboreto.

Taken by surprise the remaining 4 men scrambled for their weapons, but a short warning burst from Allison's CTAR-21 assault rifle froze them in their tracks. "Good choice" McDonnell told them, motioning for them to slowly move away from the table where they sat. Giuseppe and Henrietta entered next, the diminutive cyborg dragging her latest victim by his heels.

"Nicely done" complimented Croce.

Brian shrugged her shoulders and muttered "Well, except for the fact that the one we killed was on our _capture_ list, and these 4 we captured are on the _kill_ list."

"Would you like me to kill them Giuse?" asked Henrietta, in a chillingly innocent voice.

"No" chuckled her handler, "we'll turn them over to..."

At that instant a bedroom door to their left burst open, and a wild-eyed woman in a torn dress rushed out screaming & cursing. The men began to yell at her, and there was a baby screaming in the room she had come from. "All of you get down on the ground!" yelled Croce, but the woman continued to scream at them in Albanian. The 4 men did not obey his command either, yelling randomly at the woman and their attackers. The carefully controlled scene was unraveling fast, and both tired cyborgs began to look increasingly panicked at all the chaotic distractions. A cacophony of infantile screaming, the woman cursing, and 7 grown men yelling over the din reached its critical point when the woman pulled a kitchen knife from her filthy dress and took a swing at Brian. Allison reacted automatically, and landed a single round between her eyes, spraying the door-frame behind with bits of skull & brains.

Seeing a distraction all 4 of the target men grabbed their pistols off the table and the room descended into chaos with everyone, Agency & enemy, cyborg & human firing wildly. In seconds it was over, noise & chaos replaced by utter silence. Through the superior skill of the SWA side all 4 targets lay dead. Allison had been hit in the right thigh, but it had done nothing more than strip a little skin off and ruin a pair of blue jeans. Elio had suffered a close call...a single ricochet caught him in the eyebrow, but its velocity had been low, and it barely drew blood.

"Everyone check yourselves!" ordered Croce, giving Henrietta a quick look-over and finding no injuries. "Damn it we shouldn't have wasted time before sweeping the whole apartment."

Allison poked her finger through the bullet-hole in her thigh and lamented "Damn it I only packed 2 pairs of jeans!" Both girls seemed relaxed and casual given the circumstances; it was all in a day's work for the cyborgs.

"How about you Alboreto?" asked Brian, looking at the contusion on his older colleague's head, "That hit didn't scramble you brain did it?"

Elio's mind was on other things though. "Henrietta, Allison, go wait in the hallway" he ordered, "Allison, call Public Safety for the cleaner team...you know the procedure."

"Can't we do that just as easily from here?" asked the older cyborg, pulling out her mobile phone with a puzzled look on her face.

"Now!" barked Alboreto.

Henrietta gave a questioning look to Giuseppe, who nodded his head even though he did not understand what was going on either, "Do as Mr. Elio says." Allison was a bit disappointed when her own handler backed up Alboreto & ordered the same. Once both cyborgs had been exiled to the hallway Giuseppe questioned "What was _that_ all about?"

Elio wore a grim look on his face as he replied "Listen."

"I don't hear a thing" muttered a puzzled Croce, McDonnell nodding in accord.

Alboreto answered "That baby isn't squalling anymore."

"Oh...no" groaned Brian, and all 3 men hurried into the bedroom. They froze upon seeing a dirty, worn out bassinet...pierced by a single bullet hole. Elio gently pushed past the other men to check on the infant. He put his hand down into the crib and with a shake of his head confirmed everyone's fears.

"Damn it!" cursed McDonnell, kicking a chair out of his way. Giuseppe silently slumped against the wall. "What was the bullet trajectory?" demanded Brian, "Can you determine the caliber? Was it one of ours or one of theirs?"

"Just don't ask" Elio voice rumbled, "What's done is done, don't go seeking answers that don't mean a thing anymore." He took a deep breath and suggested "Why don't you blokes take the Lancia & bring the girls home. I'll stick around and make the report to Public Safety. They can give me a lift when we're done."

Croce agreed; "That's a good idea if you don't mind staying. You were correct to send the girls out, thank you."

"For better or worse I've been through this before" admitted the older man, "it's not something those two needed hanging over their heads."

"I don't think we should tell them about this" muttered Brian, who had calmed down a bit.

Elio nodded. "Agreed" he said, "you fellows better get going."

The cleaner team showed up 7 minutes after the Croce & McDonnell fratelli cleared out, and they didn't ask many questions. Lacking a child-sized body bag they put the dead infant in with the woman that was assumed to be her mother.

Once they were done a PS photographer asked "You need a ride back to your Field Headquarters?"

Alboreto was tired down to his bones, but he needed some time to think. "Thank you, but I think I could use a walk."

"Alright," agreed the man, pointing North-West "it's only 16 blocks in that direction, give us a ring if you change your mind, okay?" He leaned in and patted Elio on the back. "Don't take it hard old guy. This is not the first time some kid has gotten caught in a cross-fire, it won't be the last. Grizzly business we're in."

Alboreto stepped out into the cold night air, slowly filling his lungs and appreciating that it did not smell of blood, gunpowder, musty decay and emptied bowels. As Elio pulled his jacket tighter and began his solitary walk the old spy tried to recall the first time he'd taken the life of a child as collateral damage. He could not remember.

**END OF PART 1**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day arrived too early for most. Michele arrived at Field Headquarters just after 7am with Kara & Marisa in tow, both groggy from a late night. He found only Ferro awake, making the day's first pot of coffee. "You're here early" greet the yawning support agent, offering him a cup as the cyborgs sat down on the sofa and tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

"The girls complained about our early start but I was kind of eager to get an assignment" Pagani explained, "Since that first night at the restaurant I haven't been on a single _real_ mission, and it's beginning to feel embarrassing."

"Such eagerness" teased Ferro. She shuffled through the mission sheets for the day with her left hand, while sipping coffee with her right. "Aha, here's a task well suited to your talents. It's a capture mission on the _Via_ _Libertà_."

Michele read over the particulars and said "This will be no problem, we'll have the mark before lunchtime. Kara...do you have something nice to wear? By nice I mean _expensive_. We need to blend in at some top notch boutiques."

"Do you even need to ask that question Michele?" she chuckled in response.

"I suppose not," he replied, "my credit card can testify that you certainly do not want for fashionable things to wear. Ferro I could use a second cyborg on this...are you using Claes this morning?"

Ferro nodded and told him "Yes, I'm afraid so. Jean wants her on communications, we really can't count on the Public Safety switchboard, they let us down a few times yesterday. You can take Marisa."

"How about it Mari?" asked Pagani, "Feel like coming shopping with us?"

"I'll have to ask Elio" answered the red-haired girl, hopping up from the sofa.

Ferro stopped her with a warning finger. "Oh no you don't Marisa! Do _not_ go waking Mr. Alboreto up, he got in later than anyone last night. Go ahead with Mr. Pagani, you can meet up with your handler this afternoon."

"Kara, make sure she has something appropriate to wear" instructed Michele.

The teenaged cyborg grinned broadly and replied "Mission accepted!" with great enthusiasm. She grabbed her younger counterpart by the wrist and rushed to the communal bedroom to pick out their outfits. Michele was left desperately hoping his cyborg would not get carried away.

**_Efisio's Jewelery_**

Much to Kara's chagrin Michele chose the Lancia Lybra over his Gallardo to carry the 3 down to the trendy _Via_ _Libertà _shopping district. "Mari could have sat on my lap" she protested (Marisa seemed much less enthusiastic about that idea) but Michele pointed out the flaw in her reasoning; "This is a capture mission, what do you intend to do with the target, strap him to the roof?" Kara could only grumble at his logic.

On the drive over Michele handed the mission sheet to the girls. "Take a good look at that picture. Efisio DiGenno runs a custom jewelery shop, importing most of his merchandise from Turkey. That's all just a front though...he's really running ex-Soviet weapons through the Bosporus. Nabbing him would be just the break we need to open up a whole new operation to stop the flow of weapons out of the Black Sea area. That would mean a lot of help from other international agencies that want the illegal weapons trade choked off."

"Seems easy," replied Kara, "can't the police just step in and arrest him?"

"Sicilian police?" laughed Mari, "Hey, if you're gonna trust them would you mind loaning Henrietta, Rico & I your Bugatti while you're at it?"

Kara elbowed her younger sister in the ribs and muttered "Very funny, you murder-midget."

"She has a point," Michele answered, "it's also important that we capture the target's laptop computer. If we sent the police to handle this all it would take is one corrupt cop to tamper with the evidence and all _we_ get is a blank hard-drive." He parked the car 3 blocks away from a row of boutiques. "I'm going to check the back alley. You two browse the shops together and find DiGenno...we'll meet up near that fountain in 40 minutes."

"Check" acknowledged Kara with a nod, "what's our limit?"

"For what?" asked Pagani.

"Shopping;" she replied "it's going to look strange if we just wander around the boutiques and don't buy anything...like we're shoplifters or something. You don't want us attracting two much attention from store security, do you?"

Michele groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Kara, you have an evil talent for twisting situations to your advantage."

"Does that mean we can use your AmEx card?" she asked hopefully.

"No" he growled, "it means you can get your butt out of the car and go do your job before I cut your allowance for a month."

Michele split off to check the back of the building as the two cyborgs went on to hit the shops. Kara was a bit dejected at having lost that round, but she bounced back quickly as they walked the 3 blocks to the boutiques. "The first time we got to work together was here in Sicily too, am I right?"

"Yep, that was the mission where I got shot for the first time" answered Marisa, doing a walking twirl in a white nautical dress she was wearing for the first time "and you got totally freaked out by that cockroach."

Kara shivered as a chill ran down her spine "Yeah...bad memory there."

"Yup, but it really _was_ a monster cockroach" laughed Marisa.

"I meant watching you get shot!" scolded Kara, quite serious all of a sudden, "Have you forgotten how bad it was? Elio, Michele & I were genuinely scared that we would lose you!"

Mari felt like making a joke out of it but reconsidered when she saw how upset Kara had become. "Sorry...the truth is I don't remember much of what happened after I got hit. The recovery was pretty awful though, I'd rather not do that again." She resolved to speak more carefully; it was sometimes difficult to determine what could be joked about and what to take seriously.

Luckily they reached the row of expensive shops before the situation could get any more awkward. They were on a narrow blocked off cobble-stoned street, shaded by a partial roof of timbers that held grape vines; already bare of their leaves this late in autumn. Kara stopped at one open storefront to admire a designer handbag, but Marisa was less enthusiastic about it.

"You like that?" she asked, wrinkling her nose and thinking it looked kind of ugly.

"Sure" replied Kara, looking it over expertly, "it's a designer original."

"I guess" muttered the younger girl. "Do they have any with _your_ initials? All these are for D. G."

Aghast at her partner's ignorance, Kara stood dumbstruck with her jaw wide open. "Mari, are you kidding me? That's _Dolce & Gabbana_, are you _sure_ you're really Italian? Arrghh...you just don't understand fashion; it's all about the _message_ an artistically designed accessory or piece of clothing sends when people see you wearing it."

By this time Marisa had gotten a glance at the price tag and took a step back in horror. "Whatever...but if you really like it don't buy it here. There's a Jamaican guy back in Rome who spreads all kind of stuff out on a blanket & sells the same exact same bag for like...€20. He's really cool, I bought a DVD from him once, and Elio sometimes buys home-made cigarettes from him, although I never see him smoke them."

"Arrgghhh!" Kara groaned, "Mari, those are _knock-offs_...they're illegal!"

"We murder people for the government and you're concerned about a fake purse and a bootleg copy of _The Three Musketeers_? Besides, you just told me fashion was all about being seen, so if you're seen with the exact same bag, and nobody knows where you bought it, don't you get the same effect in the long run?"

The older cyborg shook her head and muttered, "I give up...but only temporarily. One of these days we're going to sit down and I will explain fashion to you!"

"Hey Kara, I know this place where you can pay 10x the normal price for an ice cream, but they've got a really fashionable wrapper...you wanna go there after the mission?" Marisa continued to tease.

"Oh put a sock in it, twerp" muttered Kara, "heads up...jeweler's shop dead ahead." Maintaining their casual demeanor the two cyborgs made a slow pass and recognized the target behind the counter, showing off a stunning emerald pendant to an equally impossible looking platinum blonde. "How about the fake boobs on her?" Kara mocked with a palpable tinge of female indignation.

"Yep, can't buy those from a Jamaican guy with a blanket" Marisa agreed. "Let's move in for a closer look." The two entered the shop and pretended to look around, happy that all of Efisio DiGenno's attention was focused on the blonde.

"Heavy security door behind the counter" whispered Kara in a low tone that the girls called _cyborg-speak_. With their extraordinary hearing they could speak in volumes much too low for any human to hear, but still be understood perfectly by their sisters. It was in fact a skill the girls had secretly developed to communicate privately when agency adults were around, but it was equally effective against a target. A pair of well practiced cyborgs could easily carry on a conversation in front of their handlers without moving their lips & so far no SWA grown-ups had caught on.

Marisa responded in the same fashion; "That could be a problem if he runs...it looks like it would take a bomb to get through that door."

By this time they had attracted the attention of the shop's owner. "Can I help you ladies?" asked DiGenno.

Mari turned around quickly, and gave him a big, fake smile "We're looking for a gift for my mother, her birthday is on Sunday."

"Well maybe I can show you some things in your price range" Efisio suggested, pulling a tray of ear-rings, pendants & necklaces from a lower shelf of his counter display case. Kara ambled over and gave his offerings a dismissive look. "I don't think so...may we have a look at those opal's please."

DiGenno was leery. "Young lady, those are very expensive. I don't think..."

"Sir, do you honestly believe _we_ are paying for this?" muttered the cyborg, maintaining her high-minded, slightly snobbish act, treating the jewelery shop owner like a servant, "Our father will be here shortly, _if _we find something we like."

"Wait," questioned the platinum blonde woman who was still leaning over the counter, "you two are _sisters_?" She eyed the Asian girl and her freckled, red-haired little sister with suspicion.

"Yeah, we don't look it, do we? Same father, different mothers" explained Marisa with a casual laugh. Kara nodded in agreement but went back to examining the jewelery, her eyes darting under the counter to check for a possible weapon.

Michele had already been waiting at the fountain rendezvous point for a few minutes when the two cyborgs came walking up. "No shopping bags?" he observed with amazement, "I'm impressed...good work Marisa."

"Wait a minute...good work _Marisa_?" exclaimed Kara with sharp indignation.

"Yes" teased her handler, "having her along kept you in check. Alone, or with Petra or Allison you would have purchased a whole new winter wardrobe." Marisa giggled, and Kara appreciated his jest as well, but she resolved to make him pay for it the next time they went out shopping together. "So what did you two see?"

Kara was happy to change the subject. "It'll be difficult to take him out the front door, too many people around. There's a heavy steel door that leads to the back room...it could present a problem if he gets wise and runs."

"Does he have a gun?" asked Pagani.

Kara shook her head and replied "I didn't _see_ one, but that doesn't mean he's unarmed. We told him we would come back with our_ rich father _hopefully he'll be thinking about a big sale and not catch the set-up."

Her handler nodded and confirmed "Good work...no sense waiting, let's get this done."

When Michele followed the girls to DiGenno's shop he saw the blonde woman for the first time. "Maybe we should wait until that customer is gone" he suggested.

"She's been there since we first arrived," explained Marisa, "and I don't think she plans on leaving."

Michele sighed and thought for a few moments. "That complicates things. Maybe I can lure the mark into his own back room."

"Maybe you can lure the woman away from the store" suggested Mari.

Kara shot her a fierce glance of disapproval, but Michele seemed to like the idea. "That might work," he replied, "If I can get her away from the shop can you two nab Efisio and get him out the back door?"

"Sure we can" his cyborg answered, setting her jealousy aside for the greater good of the mission. "Are we ready to move on this?"

"No" said Michele, "I want to bring the car around first so we can toss him in for a quick get away. This woman might be difficult to get rid of so if I can't get back to you in time, Kara, I want you to leave me and bring the mark in. I'll rendezvous with you two at Field HQ." She nodded to indicate her acceptance, but did not seem pleased to be leaving _her_ handler with the statuesque blonde.

**_Missionary of Love_**

Taking a deep breath, Michele stepped into the jewelery shop with his two cyborgs in tow. "Can I help you?" asked Efisio, but then he noticed his two browsers from earlier. "Ah, you must be the father of these young ladies. They told me you might be interested in opals, but I also have a number of very nice diamonds I'd like to show you." He left for just a minute, slipping into the back room and leaving the door open behind him. Both cyborgs looked anxious...this was their best opportunity to grab the mark, but only if Mr. Pagani could get rid of the witness.

_Damn it,_ _Sandro Rissi would be better for this job, _thought the handler as he made his move. He picked up a set of gaudy emerald ear-rings and said "These would look beautiful on you."

"I beg your pardon?" the woman responded.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself; my name is Amadeo...they call me the the _Missionary of Love_." Pagani was immediately mortified by the pathetic attempt at a pick-up line.

"Missionary, eh...is that so?" said the blonde, rolling her eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be picking out a gift for your wife?"

"Oh we're not married" he assured her.

"Well, isn't that just what a girl dreams about in a man isn't it?" she sneered, "The talent to knock a girl up and then not marry her."

This was not going well. Michele hadn't really practiced his "game" in years, and this was turning into a disaster. Not knowing what else to do he dug his hole even deeper. "Well, I've got other talents that the ladies find _irresistible_." Even Kara & Marisa rolled their eyes at that dreadful line.

Right at that moment Efisio DiGenno came out of the back room and overheard what was going on. "Hey, asshole, what do you think you're doing?"

"This clown thinks he can pick up on me Efo baby," laughed the woman, "right in front of his two kids no less!"

DiGenno's eyes grew wide with rage. "You think you can walk in here pretending to be a customer...wasting my time and trying to fuck my girl?" he growled. Michele took a step back and looked to the cyborgs, who wore equally shocked expressions. None of them had even considered that the platinum blonde was DiGenno's girlfriend and not an ordinary customer.

Things got worse. The furious jeweler/smuggler hit a hidden button and heavy security shutters rolled down with a noisy slam, cutting off the front door. At the same time he drew a Russian made OTs-01 Kobalt revolver out of the cash register drawer and aimed it directly at Michele's head. "You just fucked with the wrong guy you _bastardo. _Give me a good reason not to blow your brains all over this shop!"

The girlfriend was relaxed considering the situation. "Jeeze Efo, you don't have to blow his brains out right in front of his kids. Take him in back."

Pagani saw an opportunity...he was confident that he could wrestle the weapon away if he was isolated with DiGenno...but neither cyborg (especially Kara) was going to accept the risk of letting him out of their sight with a gun to his head. "Now!" whispered the older girl, in a the quiet tone only her sister could hear. Marisa dropped down and yanked her skirt up over her knee to reveal the 9mm Beretta strapped to her thigh. Kara bolted for Michele at the same instant.

"Oh shit...kid's got a gun!" screamed the woman, but Efisio did not make the mistake of taking his own weapon off Michele. Instead he fired, but by this time Kara had crossed the room, tackling her handler and taking the .380 round in the back of her right shoulder, causing no damage. Marisa fired on DiGenno, but the blonde woman kicked her before vaulting over the counter. Both she and Efisio escaped through the back door. Kara was still down covering Michele, so Mari leapt to her feet and rushed to grab the door before it slammed shut, bounding over the display case counter. Unfortunately she either over-estimated the strength of the counter glass, or under-estimated her own weight, as it shattered under her foot, tripping her up as she crossed over. Marisa fell face first, but managed to scramble far enough to thrust her head into the path of the door, absorbing the full impact of its steel construction with her ceramic-composite skull.

"Marisa, report! Are you all right?" demanded Michele, slapping her lightly on the cheek.

She rolled her head back and forth, dazed by the blow. "That hurt a lot more than I thought it would" she muttered drunkenly, but quickly regained her composure and exclaimed "Don't waste time...go get them!"

Kara & Michele did not waste time, stepping over Mari and beginning their pursuit. DeGenno was not in the armored back room, so they rushed upstairs to the apartment. The .380 revolver barked out 3 shots, and this time it was Michele saving Kara, yanking her back so the rounds crashed into wood paneling instead of her head. Without hesitation she jumped the rest of the way up the stairs and rolled with her H&K P2000 pointed ahead of her. "Clear!" Kara shouted and Michele dashed the opposite way to check the bedroom. He caught Efisio DiGenno trying to crawl out a window and tackled him, careful to knock away the smuggler's pistol. The two men rolled around on the carpet for a few seconds before Kara arrived and grabbed the target, tossing him across the room where he crashed hard into the wall and landed in a crumpled heap. "Don't move or I blow off your kneecap!" snapped the cyborg, leveling her pistol at him. Knowing he was caught, DiGenno sighed and held his hands out for Pagani's cuffs. "One down..." panted Kara with a smile, wiping a few stray hairs from her face.

They were interrupted by a shrill scream. Michele & Kara left the defeated smuggler and ran to the kitchen, where Marisa had caught his blonde girlfriend, stripped away a .32 caliber automatic, and was just tossing her out the window. "Mari, stand down!" ordered Pagani.

Marisa had already thrown the screaming woman, but at Michele's command she reached out just in time to catch her by the ankle. "I caught her trying to microwave an external hard drive...since she's not one of our targets I was just gonna smash her on the pavement below."

Michele shook his head and replied "Pull her back inside!"

Leaving the shrieking woman dangling above the back alley Mari gave the handler a puzzled look and pointed out "Sir...standing orders: If anyone see's you while you're working, _kill them_."

"Well we don't kill captured prisoners" Pagani told her, giving a glance to Kara who nodded in agreement.

"Okay sir" conceded Marisa with a shrug of her shoulders, "so what _do_ you want me to do with her?"

"Pull her back in..." instructed Michele "...we'll take her in with us and see what she knows."

Holstering her pistol, Kara went over to help Mari pull the struggling woman back through the window. As Michele secured her with a second set of handcuffs Marisa took a piece of biscotti out of a glass jar on the counter before offering it to Kara & her handler. "If it was _my_ handler in charge your brains would be splattered all over that pavement" muttered the red headed girl, "you're lucky Mr. Pagani is so nice." Kara smiled broadly at her handler as she jammed a piece of biscotti in the captured woman's mouth.

Using the Lancia Michele & crew dropped their captures off at the main Public Safety headquarters, a cloistered ring of office buildings with a parking courtyard in the center. "Back home next?" asked Kara. Michele said nothing, but pointed to the entrance of the courtyard. Almost on cue his red Gallardo cruised in and pulled up in front of them. Out stepped Elio.

"Very nice, Pagani" he commented, "a bit hard to get in and out of, but better behaved in traffic than I expected. Having no clutch pedal took a bit of getting used to though."

"You'll have to try her on an open road some time. Trade ya?" asked Michele. Alboreto tossed the Lamborghini's keys up in the air and they crossed paths with those of the Lancia. Elio caught the keys for the Lybra just fine, but before Pagani could grab his Gallardo keys Kara snatched them out of mid-air. "Can I drive?" she asked, and Michele answered her with an indulgent sigh.

Marisa hurried over to her own handler who asked "How was she?"

"Just great," answered Michele "she really took one for the team when she let the target slam a steel security door on her head. We would have lost him if not for that."

Elio ran his hands through his cyborg's hair and saw the two bruises where the door and frame had impacted her skull. "Doesn't look too bad, but I want you to tell me if you feel dizzy, nauseous or tired, okay?"

"Yes sir," she chirped, "but I'll be fine...you know how tough I am!"

"Sure," chuckled Elio, "I'll remind you of that right before you get your next shot back at the medical center."

By now Kara & Michele had slipped into the Gallardo. "Thanks for the use of your cyborg, Elio, she was a big help."

"Well thanks for looking after her while I got some rest," Alboreto added, "that was a _real_ help!"

As the Pagani fratello drove away, returning to HQ to await their next assignment Mari looked up at her handler. "So what now, boss?" she chirped happily.

"We have another mission" he answered, "but first let's grab some lunch."

* * *

Since they had worked so well together on day one the Mancini & Rissi fratelli were teamed up together again. "Jean's produced a special challenge for us today" explained Avise as they took the Ford Transit van out. "We're taking out 3 dirty cops; 2 city precinct chiefs who work with the mafia and the Padania, and one customs officer who helps the smugglers sneak weapons through the ports. The catch is, they all have to disappear without a trace. Absolutely no witnesses, and no clues as to where they went."

"Does that mean we're going to be digging holes?" groaned Agapita, looking sorrowfully at the manicure Petra had given her last night before bed.

Mancini could not help but laugh. "No my dear" he assured her, "once we have the bodies we're

going to hand them off to a _fixer_ who will get rid of them."

Petra was suspicious; "But won't he be a witness then?"

"Don't worry about that," answered Alessandro with a knowing laugh, "just focus on killing these 3 as cleanly as possible and I'm sure our dump-man can handle his job."

**_Morning Walk_**

After yesterday's long boring stakeout Henrietta was happy to be out in the sun getting a little exercise with Giuseppe. It was a clear, brisk morning and the streets were full of people full of industry & good cheer. The morning air was still a bit chilly, but 'Etta did not mind as it gave her an excuse to wear the new sweater Giuseppe had given her just a week ago. _P__anettieres _were just opening their doors, assaulting her eager senses with the aromas of fresh baked bread & pastries. Nearby a produce truck was delivering its wares from the countryside, just-picked fruits & vegetables in every vibrant color 'Etta could think of. Aside from that truck and a few other delivery vehicles there were no cars on this street so all around her bicycles rolled past, ridden by people on their way to work and school. Their bells reminded Henrietta of cheerful laughter.

The people walking their dogs were some of her favorites...she wished she had time to stop and meet them all but there was work to do. Henrietta got a brief giggle out of the way they reared up and barked in alarm as she flashed past in a full speed run.

Although the streets were beginning to get crowded with a fascinating assortment of colorful characters the young cyborg had no trouble dashing through the herd. Sometimes her room-mate Rico acted a bit silly, and got excited over the simplest things, but Henrietta had to admit that she was absolutely right about how wonderful it was to have such an extraordinary body. The man she was chasing was tall, with very long legs, but he crashed into people and knocked over vendor's stands as he clumsily played his part in the chase. 'Etta by contrast could dodge and change direction with the speed of an athlete and the precision of a dancer. She barely brushed the coats of passerby's as she rushed past, drawing closer to her mark with every step.

The tall man ducked down an alleyway, perhaps hoping to give her the slip in their deadly serious game of tag. His attempt was futile; 'Etta rounded the turn right behind him, her hard soled Mary Jane shoes sliding on the loose gravel like the tires of Giuseppe's Porsche on a mountain road. Her target drew out a knife and flashed it in Henrietta's face, but she barely blinked. There was a pop and a shrill scream as his shoulder joint was pulled apart, followed by a dull messy thump when Henrietta spun him around by his dislocated appendage and slammed him face first into the brick wall. Bloody, mangled, but alive the target slumped down against the wall and surrendered to unconsciousness.

Pleased with the success of her morning work Henrietta looked up at the clear blue sky and took a slow, refreshing breath of the cool morning air. Although she would never dream of allowing a bad guy to escape (and thereby disappoint Giuse) the young cyborg felt a pang of sympathy for her bloody captive. She understood perfectly well why anyone would want to remain free on a beautiful morning like this.

**_First of Three_**

"Do you see him?" Rissi asked over his radio, watching their first target exit his apartment building on the way to work. The police chief gave his watch an impatient glance and waited on the curb for a car that was not coming. He did not know that just 100 meters away Public Safety had set up a very selective road block and the chief's chauffeur was stranded in a routine "random" vehicle inspection.

Avise responded from his position in the window of an historic church 100 meters in the opposite direction; "We've got him. Move Petrushka in as close as she can get without being noticed." He put his hand on Agapita's shoulder and spoke softly "Alright, this is an unfamiliar weapon, but the core principles are all the same. Relax, chose your moment, exhale and squeeze the trigger evenly...and don't hit Petra, that dart will kill her just like a normal human."

"So what _is_ the God's official policy on killing a person from the window of a church?" the cyborg asked, only half jokingly.

"We are the instruments of His divine justice," replied Mancini without an moment's hesitation, "and He has seen fit to show this by providing us with a perfect firing vector from His own house."

Her doubts cast aside by the confidence of her handler's pronouncement Agapita leveled the cross-hairs and just as she had been taught began squeezing her trigger. With a silent puff of compressed gas the Pneu-Dart X-Caliber CO2 rifle fired, but it was not noticed over the din of the street below.

Down on the street Petra was hiding in plain sight, standing directly in front of the police chief and waving wildly for a taxi. Distracted by the gesticulations of the annoying redheaded girl he did not detect the trap until a stabbing pain slammed into his ribs right under his right armpit. Wide eyed with horror he yanked a dart from his side and recognized quickly that his breathing had become labored. Just as his vision grew blurry he was roughly shoved into a van that had just pulled up. _My chauffeur? _the chief thought frantically, but it was the annoying redheaded girl who had muscled him into a large white Ford Transit. The poison took effect quickly, and he was dead before Alessandro rounded the block to pick up Avise & Agapita outside the back door of the church.

"One down..." Rissi reported as the 2 hopped inside.

**_Bruno Liani_**

With all the cars being used the McDonnell-Allison fratello was in the rare position of being on foot. Brian expected his cyborg to complain bitterly but she surprised him with her enthusiasm for the mission they had been assigned. "Allie I'm impressed with how you handled yourself when Ferro gave us this tasking," he praised her "to be honest I thought you were going to launch into a tirade about not getting a mission involving a car."

She shrugged her shoulders and replied "You can't win 'em all. I'm sure Marisa would like to do _only_ diving missions, and my room-mate Petra would like to concentrate on spy missions, and Rico would like to concentrate on sniper shots but we've all got to take what's thrown at us."

"Well, like I said...that's a positive attitude; I'm _impressed_."

"Impressed enough to buy me that new power brake booster for my Lancia?" she hinted with a bat of her eyelashes. Her handler rolled his eyes and groaned "We'll see."

The pair soon reached a construction site in the middle of the city. "Strange that we've got a low level mob extortionist on our pick-up list" mused Allison, scanning the throng of laborers for their man. "I mean, he sounds like a rotten guy, and I'll enjoy taking him down just for that, but is he really _Agency_ business?"

"It's more about what this guy knows than what he does" Brian explained, "a lot of the workers on this job site are immigrants from Africa and the Balkans...easy targets for a mob scumbag like this Bruno Liani to shake down for _protection_ money. Of course, some of those same workers are here in Italy without papers, having entered the country on the same boats that illegal weapons came in on. According to our good friend Rubino Teoni..."

"The guy we picked up at the restaurant on that first night?" commented Allison.

"Exactly...according to him Bruno sometimes takes information instead of cash when a worker can't pay his extortion money. He hopes the kind of info he can squeeze out of these poor saps will push him higher in the _Cosa Nostra_, make him seem smarter and more useful than he really is and get him noticed by the bosses."

Allison's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Sounds kinda dangerous...I mean, the mafia bosses could just as easily kill him for getting to nosy about things above his level."

"I never said he was smart" Brian chuckled, "in any case it's not his mafia brothers that are going to take him down...it's a government cyborg."

"Right boss!" she chirped with a broad smile.

It only took a €20 bribe to the Sicilian man (who seemed to be at least 70 years old) who manned the gate to get them in. He even directed them to a trailer where the fratello found a changing room. Donning coveralls and hard-hats left by the off-shift Brian & Allison attempted to blend in. "These are kinda filthy" muttered Allison after finding a set that fit her.

"The filthier the better" her handler told her, "we're just ordinary workers until we spot our target. Speaking of which, be careful about showing your strength. If you pick up 5 sacks of cement _somebody _is gonna notice."

Allison looked a little puzzled and asked "Um...how many sacks could a normal girl my age pick up?"

Brian answered dryly; "Assuming about 25 kilos a sack..._one_."

"Awww man!"

"Look out there" McDonnell explained, wiping dirt off a scratched plastic window, "there are very few women on this site, and those that are here are operating heavy equipment or welding, they're not construction grunts."

"Okay" agreed the cyborg, cheered by what she considered a boost in status "I can do both of those!"

Brian almost missed that, but did a quick double take and replied "Wait a minute, I know you can weld, but when did you learn to run heavy construction equipment?"

"Oh remember when that construction team installed the new environmentally friendly gel bullet stop at the outdoor range so we don't get lead contamination in the soil? Well, they always left the keys in their backhoes and earth-movers overnight, and one time a couple of us girls went out there to check it out and I..." At this moment Allison noticed an unfavorable change in her handler's facial expression, so she quickly reconsidered. "...and I'm gonna stop talking now."

"I think that would be a _good_ idea" Brian growled.

After a short search the fratello found Bruno Liani on the unfinished top floor of the building, shaking down a very skinny Senegalese boy behind a metal tool shed. Bruno shouted and shook him by the collar while the young laborer turned out his pockets and tried to explain in broken, clumsy Italian that he had no money to pay. Bruno did not seem to care how many brothers and sisters he had to feed back home in Dakar, and picked the boy up by his coveralls, slamming him roughly into the shed. Before the mobster could land a punch he was stopped by Brian's hand on his shoulder.

"Bruno Liani...we'd like a word with you" McDonnell said calmly, as Allison moved into position on his left. The Senegalese laborer looked confused at this fortunate intervention on his part, but smiled when he saw Allison. This pretty girl, about his age, wore a fierce, determined look on her face but the eyes were different from any he had ever seen. There was something lifeless, almost mechanical about them, and even though the young man could not have guessed what the truth was in a thousand chances he knew instinctively that this girl was something special, and she was here to end the reign of his tormentor...indeed the tormentor of the entire work crew...Bruno Liani.

The burly foreman turned slowly, casting a utterly ignoring Allison and fixing Brian with an angry, suspicious glare. "Who the fuck are you? I know every man on this site and I ain't never seen you before in my life."

"Don't worry about that" hissed McDonnell, matching Liani's aggressive tone. He intentionally baited the man to keep his attention off Allison. "We're only here to talk...as long as you come quietly and don't give us any trouble."

"Jeeze...look at the _testicoli_ on this one," Bruno growled, "you're gonna tell _me_ to come along quietly?" He stabbed a dirty finger into Brian's chest, which brought his cyborg to the brink of attack. McDonnell signaled her to remain in position though. "you better have a good reason why I shouldn't knock every one of your teeth down your throat!" Liani punctuated the threat with a shove.

Brian took a step back; not because he was intimidated, but to get the racketeer maneuvered into position for Allison's assault. She didn't like seeing her handler manhandled by the burly construction foreman but this was a routine they had practiced...Brian would get the mark into place and Allison would blindside him for a quick take-down. All was going exactly according to plan, but just as McDonnell gave his cyborg the signal to attack Liani remembered the workman he had been harassing. The mafiosi turned his head and saw the young man, who was not staring at the 2 men in front of him, but the girl behind.

Bruno Liani whipped around just in time to block Allison's strike. Amazed by the unexpected power that met her the cyborg lost her footing and stumbled backward, allowing Liani to take the initiative. He turned sideways and kicked her in the gut. Unprepared for this the cyborg tumbled off the edge of the floor, only catching herself at the last instant, clinging on by her fingertips.

Before Liani could stomp those fingers Brian struck from behind, hitting the mafiosi with a well practiced chop to the neck. It knocked Bruno off balance, but failed to send him to the ground. McDonnell quickly realized what his partner had already found out...this man was _tremendously_ strong. The Ulsterman was skilled and well trained, but the best he could do was parry with his hulking opponent and dodge his massive fists.

From the edge where she hung Allison scrambled for grip, but she could not gain enough of a hand-hold on the dusty concrete to pull herself up. _I've got to drop down one level and rush back up to help Brian!_ she resolved, but just as the girl was about to let go help came from an unexpected source. The young Senegalese worker grabbed her wrists and pulled. Like all cyborgs Allison was much heavier than she looked, but a life of carrying cement bags & heavy tools had made the skinny African youth stronger than _he_ looked. In an instant Allison was back on her feet and back in the fight. She did not give Bruno Liani the chance to knock her down as he had before; this time Allison launched herself into the enemy with a full force tackle. She succeeded in knocking him down, but Liani was not done. The big man could wrestle as well as fist-fight, and rolled over on his cyborg attacker, slamming her down on the concrete.

Brian took the opportunity to deliver a powerful kick to Liani's ribs...and the combined efforts of the fratello were finally beginning to wear the racketeer down. Allison got back on top of him and pinned one of his arms behind his back. "Stay down!" she exclaimed, breathless from a genuinely difficult fight.

"Go to hell!" snapped Bruno. He shoved himself up with his one loose arm, but miscalculated and before Brian could grab them he & Allison tumbled off the edge of the building. It was a 4 story drop to the dirt below...easy for a cyborg to endure but the target's survival was in doubt. Allison knew her orders; _take him alive_, so she spun in the air so that she was on bottom. Together the two crashed into hard packed earth, sending up a thick dust cloud. Workers rushed over to see what had happened, only to be shoved out of the way by Brian, who had dashed down 3 floors and jumped off the last one.

The dust cleared to reveal Allison kneeling on her prey, his left leg twisted grotesquely at the knee. Bruno Liani was still conscious, but he did not cry out in pain. The only sign of distress that he gave was breathing, hard and fast. For her part Allison was filthy, but uninjured. When she saw Brian the cyborg bared her teeth in a self-satisfied smile, proud of their shared victory. Those bright teeth were the only part of her face not coated with dust. "Good work" said the handler, "let's get him out of here."

**_Second of Three_**

Even a quiet sniper shot would not be enough to neutralize the next target of the Rissi-Mancini team; the elimination of Captain Gino Rocca would demand a masterpiece in the art of _timing_. "This one's gonna be a tough nut to crack," muttered Alessandro, looking over a Public Safety provided synopsis of his schedule. "He does the same exact thing every single day, but he's careful...I don't see any more than a 15 second window of opportunity when he's unprotected."

"There's always a way" chided Avise, "we'll just have to get it done in 15 seconds or less."

Alessandro continued; "We've got to follow him...observe and find a weakness."

"Or _make_ an opportunity" suggested Mancini.

The younger man disagreed. "This has to be discreet. If we go in with guns blazing every crooked cop in Sicily is going to know what's going on. Patience is the key."

That did not satisfy Avise, who favored decisive action. "The longer we delay the more chance we have of being detected. A guy like this is going to know he's being tailed. We're on a limited timetable."

Frustrated, Mancini lit a cigarette, which triggered Rissi to light two of his own Roxboro's, handing one to Petrushka, who accepted it with a reluctant frown. Her handler wanted her to smoke, so she tried her best whenever he thrust a cigarette into her hand, but it was a habit she'd never gotten quite been comfortable with. Agapita watched them all silently puffing at their smokes and felt oddly left out, unsure of what to do with herself while the others satisfied their craving.

"Are we ignoring anything obvious?" Alessandro reconsidered once his frayed nerves had been sated by the nicotine. "Is there a window of opportunity that we may be missing?"

"Doubt it" growled Avise, "this _asino buco_ is protected from the time he sets foot outside his house to the minute he returns."

"So why don't we just hit him at home?" asked Agapita. Everyone froze and stared straight at her, making the cyborg blush furiously, sure that she had said something wrong. "I'm sorry."

Avise felt himself in the uncommon position of being lost for words. Agapita was not renowned for her lateral thinking, so as soon as the shock wore off he praised her; "No, no, that's good. We really hadn't considered taking him right out of his own house."

"It could work..." muttered Rissi, flicking his butt away and scratching his chin. "What does his schedule say? When is he going to be home next?" He looked over Mancini's shoulder (which annoyed the soldier to no end) until they found what they were looking for. "He's out for a morning run right now...with a 4 man security detail...but after that he always goes straight home to shower."

Avise shook his head and gave a concerned scowl. "Rocca only runs 3 kilometers on Wednesdays, we haven't got much time...let's get moving."

"Only 3 kilometers!" exclaimed Agapita, "Sir, that's less than _half _what you make me run each morning!" She hoped that comparing her handler's overly aggressive training requirements with those of the enemy might entice him to ease up a bit with his demands.

It did not work. "Agapita my dear," replied her handler with his usual dramatic flair, "that is why we are going to win and he is going to _lose_."

Less than 20 minutes later the 2 fratelli were on the roof of a house adjacent to Captain Rocca's, a positioned that afforded them a clear view of the master bathroom's window. It would not be easy to reach; 2 guards patrolled below, and a video camera kept a watchful eye on the flat roof.

"You're gonna have to use grapples," instructed Mancini, "wait for the camera to pivot left, then toss your hooks there and drop down to the window."

"Both of you give us your guns" added Rissi. The girls looked at him with shock & dismay, so he explained "Look, if you get caught inside you can just plead that you're petty thieves, or even better, that this is an initiation prank...you're joining a club or something. You'll go to jail, but we can get you out of there easily enough. If you have weapons on you, game over...our target & his security force will be on to you. Get it?"

"I suppose" groaned Petrushka, pulling her Taurus out of its holster in the back of her jeans. Agapita was more reluctant to give up her Tanfoglio, but a reassuring nod from Avise convinced her that it would be well cared for while out of her hands.

"Knives as well" Avise told the cyborgs, "and anything else you've got on you." Over the next few moments 4 knives, a length of piano wire, three razor blades and a pressurized cigarette lighter that doubled as a one-use-only flame thrower were all deposited at the feet of the two handlers. "Good" said Mancini, "now get into position, Rocca is already at the front door."

With great ease and a small degree of competitiveness the two girls deployed their grappling hooks (each hitting the mark on their first throw) and swung over to the building, rappelling down to the frosted glass window which Petra found conveniently unlocked. She slid in first, followed by Agapita.

Gino Rocca's bathroom was spotlessly clean, obviously the work of a diligent housekeeping staff. There were absolutely no hints of feminine presence, no perfume, no scented soaps, no hair products beyond a tin of men's pomade, leading the girls to surmise that _Signora_ Rocca had her own bathroom. "Check this out" giggled Petrushka, finding a stack of porn magazines under the sink.

Agapita wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh...men are really interested in that kind of stuff?"

"Oh come on, it's just for fun" Petra teased, flipping through the pages of a particularly hardcore publication until the came to the centerfold, which she pulled out at full length and showed to her partner.

"That doesn't look like fun!" snapped Agapita, "In fact it looks rather _painful_!"

The red-headed cyborg shrugged her shoulders and muttered "Never know until you try..." Agapita wanted desperately to say something, but bit her tongue. There was work to do.

"Can we both fit into this closet?" said Agapita, eager to change the subject. The answer was no...only one girl would fit, and even that would be a tight squeeze.

"I guess I can fit into the laundry hamper" Petra observed.

"But it's full," remarked her partner, "what do you intend to do with the clothes?"

The red-head shrugged her shoulders dismissively and muttered "Throw them out the window I guess. It's not as if he'll be needing them anymore." A few moments later the two handlers on the adjacent roof were puzzled by the sight of Captain Gino Rocca's socks, underwear & shirts being tossed out the bathroom window into the alley below.

Whistling as he strode confidently through his own home, Rocca opened his private bathroom and tossed off his workout clothes. Petrushka experienced a brief instant of panic when he opened the laundry hamper to toss them inside, but he never even looked, and therefore missed seeing the red-headed girl stuffed therein. Petra's panic turned to disgust as the Police Captain's sweat-soaked jogging shorts came to rest directly on her face.

Worse was yet to come; both cyborgs winced in disgust as their target proceeded to sit down upon the commode and endeavour upon a rather noisy morning constitutional. Agapita felt lucky to have secured the closet hiding spot...poor Petrushka was only inches away in her laundry hamper. Their suffering only lasted a minute or two, but with hyper-sensitive senses of hearing & smell it seemed like an eternity of misery. At last a flushing sound drew a silent sigh of relief from both girls, and seconds later they heard Gino turning on the water for his shower. This was the moment they'd been waiting for.

Rocca had a fine singing voice, but not as fine as Avise's, Agapita noted with a smile. She crept out of her hiding space, the creak of the closet door conveniently covered up by the Captain's booming rendition of _Nel blu dipinto di blu_ and the falling shower water. Petra rose from her own hiding spot, tossing the sweaty gym shorts aside with disgust. She gave her partner a nod, and Agapita struck.

_Voooooo-la-re oho, oh..._ As Rocca sang the black-haired cyborg tossed back the shower curtain...and froze. Agapita had mentally run through the attack plan a dozen times, but in none of her internal reviews had the target been stark _naked_. Gino Rocca stood dumbstruck as he struggled to register what a strange 16 year old girl was doing in his private bathroom. "What the hell are you waiting for?" exclaimed Petrushka, "Kill him!"

Rocca realized what was going on before Agapita did; he slammed an open-palm strike straight into his unexpected visitor's jawbone, knocking her backward. Agapita's backup fared no better; Petra scrambled to get out of the laundry hamper but tripped and wound up falling over the toilet.

Repossessed of he senses Agapita sprang into action and whirled her legs around, knocking Rocca's knees from under him. He fell directly on top of her. Before the man could yell for his security detail the cyborg grabbed his head and twisted as hard as she could, breaking the police Captain's neck violently.

"What the fuck was that?" Petrushka cursed, "Why did you hesitate? You could have blown the whole mission!"

"Well forgive me if I thought I had back-up...please tell me in advance if you plan to trip over the commode next time! Just get him off me, damn it!" snapped Agapita, pushing the naked corpse away, "It's touching my thigh! It's touching _my thigh_!"

With an aggravated snort the red-head helped wrestle Gino Rocca's limp body off Agapita. "That was amateur...you reacted like you've never seen a naked man before!"

"Maybe I haven't!" retorted Agapita, getting to her feet and scrubbing her bare thigh with a washcloth. "Not everybody has your _vast experience_ at such things!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Petrushka growled. As the shower continued to run there was a tense silence between the two, finally broken by Petra. "Come on...we've got to get him out of here."

It did not take long to hoist the Captain's body over to the rooftop where the two handlers waited, oblivious to the rift that had started to develop between their two cyborgs. Alessandro & Avise barely noticed that the two girls sat in separate seat rows as they all departed for their next mission.

**_Gunslinger Boy_**

"How does it fit?" asked Ferro, adjusting Rico's collar, "Does it feel strange?"

"Not really" admitted the cyborg, looking herself over. She was accustomed to wearing boyish clothing, but today she was taking it to a new extreme. "Ouch! You're pulling my hair Miss Priscilla."

"Sorry" replied Priscilla, trying to be a little more gentle with her hair pins, "Sandro would be so much better for a job like this, but I'm almost done. Take a look in the mirror, what do you think?"

"You look like a boy!" giggled Henrietta, recently back from her morning mission.

Ferro cast a disapproving glance in the youngster's direction and growled "That's the point. Rico's next mission is at an all-boys school, so you can quit making fun of her unless _you_ would rather change genders _yourself_."

'Etta shrank back into the couch at the threat, but her room-mate was typically unoffended. "I do look like a boy!" she exclaimed with a smile, looking herself over with Priscilla's hand mirror. The blonde haired cyborg forced a belch and scratched her crotch, drawing an embarrassed laugh from all the other women, even Ferro. "That's the kind of stuff boys do, right?"

Jean had been downstairs getting some equipment from Public Safety, but when he arrived the Field Commander gave his charge a quick look over. "Yes...that looks good. Uniform's a bit loose, but I suppose that's for the best. Rico, come have a look at this..." He laid a dull black dagger on the table near where Claes was working.

"I'm gonna use this?" asked Rico, reaching for the blade.

Jean slapped her hand. "Careful!" he snapped, "It's dusted with a _very_ toxic poison..." Claes immediately hopped out of her chair and took a few steps back. Croce continued; "Yes, you are going to use a dagger...this hit has to look like a mafia job. Claes, the folder?"

The dark haired girl carefully reached over to the table and picked up the mission outline, handing it to Jean, but keeping her distance from the venomous dagger. "Commit this face to memory Rico; Claudio Forti...he's confirmed Padania, the F.R.F. contact man for Cosa Nostra. You're going to eliminate him in such a manner that it looks like the mafia murdered him. Hopefully this one action can break down the relationship between the two parties..._if_ we do it right."

"I'll do my best Jean!" chirped Rico enthusiastically.

**_Monte Pellegrino_**

Michele had not received word of a new mission yet so he & Kara burned a few hours driving around the outskirts of the city. Pagani normally loathed urban driving, but with Kara guiding his Gallardo through the insane Italian traffic he was having a much more relaxing time. As an added bonus, the position of passenger gave him rare control over the radio. Kara winced as her handler hummed along with Gordon Lightfoot's _The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald_, but tolerated it with good grace. _How can a song be corny & depressing at the same time?_ she thought, _I'll never understand adults..._

It could not last forever. Michele's mobile phone rang. "It's Ferro..." he observed before answering "Hello this is Michele."

"Pagani, I've got something for you" the head support agent's voice came over the hand's free speakerphone; "I'm afraid it's going to be difficult, but your fratello is the closest to the position."

"Sure thing...what do you need?"

"Sniper shot; and one hell of a sniper shot at that" she sighed. "This is the kind of thing I'd like to use Rico on, but Jean has her doing something else right now and we can't wait. There are two targets, both marked for termination, on a sailboat anchored 1000 meters off Monte Pellegrino. We have a safe firing position on top of the hill, but it'll be a tricky down-angle shot with unpredictable gusty winds. Privately, Michele, do you think Kara can make a shot like that?"

"Well;" replied Pagani with a chuckle, "you can forget about privacy...I have you on speakerphone and Kara is right here next to me."

Ferro seemed a bit embarrassed by that and there was an awkward silence, broken by Kara who answered "Yes Ma'am, I'm confident I can pull off the shot. What's the weapon?"

"Public Safety will have a .50 caliber Hecate waiting for you on the hill. You've practiced with one of those, right? There's a little tattoria up by the lookout, ask for _Nero_ and he'll have your package" the woman explained. "After you're done, hide the weapon, PS will come gather it up later."

Kara asked "Why can't we just use a shoulder mounted missile...like a MILAN or a Stinger? Alternately, couldn't Marisa & Mr. Alboreto board the boat and take out the targets?"

"Good questions; you've trained her well Pagani" Ferro praised, "there's evidence aboard that vessel, so we can't sink it, and we can't board it or that data might get erased. The two targets are confirmed Padania arms buyers...they need to be dead before we can get close to the vessel."

"Understood" replied Pagani, nodding at Kara, "we're on our way to the lookout atop Monte Pellegrino to rendezvous with _Signor_ Nero."

At 600 meters in height the promontory of Mount Pellegrino provided a spectacular view of Palermo and the bay beyond. It rose gradually on its south side but dropped abruptly into the sea on its northern face. "Nero" was easy to find...a short grizzled bald man with one eye manning the grill at a tiny tourist eatery with just a few customers, he seemed almost tailor made for the role of the shady spy contact. The tattoria was not the kind of place Kara or Michele would feel comfortable eating, or even staying for very long so it was a relief that Nero was not a conversationalist either; "It's around back" he muttered gruffly, not even bothering to check Michele's credentials, "wrap it back up and bury it in the rocks when you're done. Build a small cairn so we can find it, okay." Who the _we_ Nero was referring to Kara & Michele could only wonder...it seemed like only him up here.

As the fratello exited he followed, wiping his hands on his greasy apron. "Are you the damn fool who brought a Lamborghini up here? Kinda _asking_ for attention aren't you?"

"Better the car grabs attention than what we're doing" muttered Pagani, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Eh, you might have a point" replied the cook, "the tourists seem to like it." True enough, Michele's Gallardo had attracted the attention of everyone dining at the picnic tables. "Like I said, your package is around back."

Wrapped in a Tasco telescope bag amongst the trash cans behind the restaurant was the .50 caliber PGM Hecate II sniper rifle, a Zeiss spotting scope sat next to it in an unmarked bag. Kara gave a quick peek inside and confirmed all the pieces were there, but was visibly chagrined to find only one magazine full of ammo. "Seven shots is not much" she muttered as the fratello began hiking out to their location.

"There's only two targets" her handler reassured her.

Kara felt strong winds whipping her hair around and sighed "I wish I hadn't sounded so over-confident when we talked to Miss Ferro. These are going to be 2 hard shots."

"It isn't over-confidence at all" Michele replied, putting his arm around her, "I have every confidence in the world that you're going to nail these two Padanians." That drew a smile from the cyborg. Hiking up a rocky slope on top of a mountain lugging a 14 kilogram rifle was not usually her idea of fun, but as long as Michele was with her she did not wish to be anywhere else in the world.

Cresting the hill Kara & Michele were thrilled with the view across miles of blue Mediterranean. Ships of all kind, tugs, ferries, freighters, powerboats & tankers plied the waters over a half kilometer below them (Kara's extraordinary eyes even spotted _Bright Star_ in Palermo harbor) but it was one specific sailboat that interested them today. _Ballerino del Sud_ was a white hulled 11 meter sloop, so similar to many others out on the water that day that it took Kara & Michele 10 minutes of staring through their respective scopes before Pagani finally picked her out of the crowd. "A-ha! Score one for human eyes!" he teased, pointing out the target vessel.

"Lucky break" the cyborg chuckled, assembling her rifle. The rocks did not provide a comfortable place to lie, and Nero had not provided a shooter's mat, but Kara made the best of it, utilizing two rocks to brace her elbow. "One man, one woman on deck..."

Michele was watching through the Zeiss scope, "Hold your fire until one goes below. If either sees their partner get hit they'll rush down below and start destroying the data we need."

"This wind is really unpredictable" lamented Kara.

"Only up here" Michele replied, "ignore this wind and concentrate on the sailboat's flags. Even a cyborg can't account perfectly for gusty winds over a kilometer away, so just do your best."

Kara uttered a sarcastic laugh/grunt and told him "I've seen Rico do it."

"Don't worry about Rico...now is your turn."

Kara fired without warning; Michele had been looking at her so it took him a few seconds to re-locate the boat in his scope. "Hot damn...excellent work! Dead center right in her chest!" The girl basked in his praise, chambering another round with the manual bolt-action and waiting for the next man to come back up from the sailboat's cabin. She didn't have long to wait; less than 30 seconds passed before the man came returned carrying two water bottles. Excited by her success on the first shot Kara fired as soon as she saw him. "Another hit!" announced Pagani, gathering up his scope, "Let's get out of here and report in." He picked up the carrying bags, ready to bury the gear as Nero had requested and head back to HQ.

"Michele!" Kara exclaimed.

"What is it?"

She looked at him with worried eyes, "He's not dead!"

It took a minute for Pagani to re-set the spotting scope and find _Ballerino del Sud _again, but when he did Kara's words were confirmed. The second target was hit, but a smear of fresh blood across the white deck showed that he had managed to crawl into the steering cockpit for cover. Only the top of his head was visible. "Damn it," cursed the girl, "why did I fire so quickly? Patience...damn it a sniper has to have _patience_!"

"Relax and get your focus back" instructed Michele in a soothing voice, "we still have a chance."

"At what?" she exclaimed, "A chest shot is hard enough in these conditions...I can see less than half a head now! I doubt even Rico could hit a target that small. Of course, Rico wouldn't have screwed up and fired early like me!"

Speaking as calmly as he could Pagani tried to chase the anxiety from his cyborg. "We have a second chance Kara. You're an excellent sniper, much better than I could ever be...I have every bit of faith in you. There are 5 rounds left in your magazine, use them all if you have to, we have nothing to lose."

"I can't do it!" she whined, tears pooling in her eyes. Like any cyborg the fear of blowing a mission and letting her handler down was clouding her mind and making clear concentration impossible. Michele had seen it before, and knew it was his job to bring his perfect weapon back from the brink of self-defeat.

"You can do it" he said softly. Pagani pushed away the spotting scope and laid down next to her on the rocks. Putting his hands on her shoulders helped...he could feel Kara's breathing become more measured, regular. "I'm not even going to watch, that's how much I trust you. Try...please Kara...for me."

The girl wiped her eyes. "Yes sir" she replied with a small, nervous smile. After taking a few breaths she lined up the cross-hairs and fired again. "Damn it!" she cried out in frustration. It was obvious from the moment she squeezed the trigger that she had the bullet would go high. Kara's anxiety was worse than ever now. Pagani wondered if he should take the rifle himself, but decided against it. No matter what happened he had to show Kara that he had total, emphatic faith in her.

"Kara, take 10 breaths" Michele told her.

"No time!" she exclaimed, "he could crawl down deeper and we'll never get him!"

He pulled her back gently and ordered, "Listen to me. Put down the rifle & take 10 deep breaths. Look at the view, feel the wind, relax your whole body. Stop trying too hard and beating yourself with worry. I love you no matter what." He stroked her hair and looked straight into her eyes as he said the words.

Kara said nothing for 30 seconds, but with their bodies so close he could feel her relaxing, the rigidness leaving her artificial muscles. "Michele, I'm ready" she finally said. Kara took up the Hecate again, carefully chambered her 4th round and concentrated on the target intently. She was holding her breath, and so was Michele. Without his own scope he would have to depend on her entirely. The cyborg had gone as motionless as the stones that surrounded them, and Kara did not even notice when a spider scurried across her left hand. She squeezed the trigger.

A fraction more than a second later & 1000 meters away the top of her target's head exploded in a shower of blood, hair and bone. It was a grizzly display but to Kara it was as beautiful as any fireworks show. "I got him!" she shouted, rolling over on the sharp rocks but paying them no mind.

Pagani snatched the rifle from her and looked for himself, confirming a direct hit. "I told you!" he laughed, just as relieved as she was. The fratello got to their feet & embraced, joyously reveling in their shared triumph.

**_Last of Three_**

Down at the docks the Rissi & Mancini fratelli were wrapping up their morning work. The customs agent was nowhere near as difficult a target as Gino Rocca (now lying in a body-bag in the Ford Transit) had been, but he did work in a very public area. Assassinating Christos Lombardi would be easy...getting his body out unnoticed would be the hard part. Public Safety had actually provided an opportunity two the team in the form of an empty shipping crate.

"A PS agent shipped this crate from Athens 2 weeks ago, and it's been awaiting pickup since it arrived" explained Avise, "We have the pickup documents. Alessandro & I will lure Lombardi out to come look for it and draw him straight into an ambush. Once he's dead we stuff him into the crate, drop all our new friends off with the cleaner and we're done for the day. At least until Jean finds something else for us to do."

Petra & Agapita were both sitting with their arms crossed, not looking at each other. "Not a minute too soon" muttered the red-head sourly. It was the first hint of discord between the cyborgs that either man had yet seen.

Mancini asked "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, sir" replied Agapita, but she never turned her head to look at Petrushka. Based on the tone of her voice Avise decided not to push the issue. He suspected there was more going on than she was telling him but there would be time to ask her about it later, privately.

"Good;" said Mancini, "you girls go ahead and get into position...we'll be along soon."

Rissi had been straightening out the paperwork in the front passenger seat, not paying much attention to the simmering drama behind him. "Looks like we're ready" he declared, donning a pair of eyeglasses and combing his hair back. Avise did not know why his partner felt it necessary to put on a disguise but for Sandro it was just a part of his pre-game ritual. "You remember the sign & countersign?"

"I do" sighed Mancini, hopping out of the van. "Do you really think they're genuine? We didn't get them from the most trustworthy source."

"Rubino Teoni's information has been reasonably reliable so far" Alessandro replied, "he's still pretty convinced old man Alboreto is gonna light him on fire if the info he gave us comes up sour."

Christos Lombardi was just getting ready to leave for an early lunch when 2 unexpected "customers" showed up. "You're the government customs agent?" asked Alessandro.

"Yes I am, but anything you need can be handled by my clerk" Lombardi answered, grabbing his coat & hat.

"It's a rather delicate concern...a very important crate that we're to pick up" explained Mancini.

The customs man was not eager to wait around and be made late for his lunch appointment. "If you're here to pick up a crate you need to speak to the yard foreman."

"Sir," interrupted Avise, "as I told you, it's a _rather delicate concern_."

This time the pass phrase caught the attention of Christos. He snapped into full attention and asked "Does this concern _our friends in Aosta_?"

"It does," Rissi answered the countersign, "_Signora Giograsso_ eagerly awaits her goods."

Lombardi sighed and extended his hand. "My apologies, gentlemen, I did not realize you were friends of the movement."

"Here is the paperwork for our shipment" offered Rissi as he and Mancini shook hands with the customs agent. His grip was cold and clammy, betraying nervous sweaty palms. Christos Lombardi had good reason to be worried about the terrorist dealings he was involved in, but at the moment he did not expect a trap.

The agent put his glasses on and looked over the paperwork proffered by the younger of his two guests. "Of course signori...I will see to this personally. Please follow me."

Mancini & Rissi flanked their target, each staying a half-step behind, ready to grab him in the event that he realized the peril he was walking into. There were still many dock workers about, but the SWA men had scheduled their ambush for lunchtime at the wharves when a majority of the workers would be away at their mid-day repast.

Walking through canyons of shipping containers Lombardi read off numbers aloud. When he came to an intersection in the paths he turned left...but Avise took a right turn. "Sir, it's this way" Christos corrected him. Mancini gave a nervous glance to Rissi...the cyborgs were waiting at the ambush location which was to the right. _Did we set up in the wrong spot?_ he wondered. Afraid of giving away the plan Alessandro angrily snapped his head in a motion that insisted _Just follow him!_

Lombardi walked a few more meters but then stopped. "Oh...I seem to be incorrect, it was right back there." He cast a suspicious glance on Avise and muttered "But how could you have known?"

A few moments of tense silence followed, until Alessandro spoke up "You may consider this strange, Signor Lombardi, but incidents like this happen frequently to my associate...I believe he may be psychic!"

That was the stupidest cover story Avise had ever heard, but he bit back his anger and replied "My partner is joking of course. The truth is I'm just confused by all these identical containers...it's extraordinary that you can navigate this maze."

Christos seemed disappointed by that explanation. "A pity," he said "the possibility of psychic phenomenon is something that interests me deeply. Such abilities could be a powerful weapon in the hands of our _mutual friends_." As the customs man walked on, again reading the container numbers out loud Avise & Alessandro shot each other angry glances. At last Lombardi stopped in front of the steel box that the two SWA men knew contained his doom. "Here it is _Signori_..." would be the last words of Christos Lombardi. He threw open the latches and stepped inside, only to have the door slammed closed behind him.

Avise & Alessandro heard a muffled scream and then heavy banging from inside the container box, but they both took time to light a cigarette. It was in the girls' capable hands now. "Fucking _psychic_?" cursed Mancini, after a few calming puffs had entered his lungs, "Was that the _best_ you could think of?"

Rissi defended himself; "You obviously didn't look at his desk. There was a paperback book about psychic phenomenon...I knew it was a topic that interested him."

"Or someone else could have left it there!" countered Avise, "Of all the cover stories you could have used why did it have to be the dumbest and most reckless?" He took another drag on his cigarette and added "You're hot-shot guess could have blown the whole mission!"

"Need I remind you who took a wrong turn and made him suspicious in the first place?" hissed Rissi.

The two men stood in tense silence for a few more moments, angrily puffing on their cigarettes and listening to the banging inside the box, until the older man asked "Why is there still banging going on?" After checking in both directions for witnesses the two cautiously pulled the door open and simultaneously yelled "_Primary Command; All Stop!_"

Agapita & Petrushka had been wrestling on the floor, but at the sound of their respective master's voices each leapt to their feet and each pleaded her case. "The idiot broke the crate we're supposed to carry the body out in!" "Only because I was trying to scoop up the brains _you_ got all over the floor!"

"Alright, enough!" snapped Mancini, "Just use my jacket to wipe up the...remains, I can get it cleaned later. The crate isn't busted too badly, we can still use it." He turned to Alessandro and muttered "Agapita and I will clean this up...you deal with your cyborg."

The younger man's eyes flashed with hot anger. "Are you implying I should take sides against my own partner? Your girl is the one who..."

The near fight was averted by a ring from Mancini's phone. "Hello this is Mancini...yes, it's done...alright we'll meet him there." He ended the call and muttered "That was Jean, our disposal crew is waiting." The two fratelli went to work in silence.

**_ _Acqua Frizzante__**

Like all cyborgs Marisa was sharply attuned to her handler's routine, so she responded with alarm upon noticing him produce a new & unexpected pill during lunch at an outdoor tattoria. "Elio, what is that?"

"Well, it's my usual multi-vitamin, a diuretic for my blood pressure..."

"No, the new one...the big one" she inquired, pointing it out.

With reluctance Alboreto tried to explain in polite terms; "Well, Mari, sometimes when a man gets to my age the digestive system doesn't work as well as when he was younger, so I'm taking a fiber pill to help with that."

"With what?" she continued.

Elio squirmed under her questioning, but answered honestly; "It provides extra roughage to...help clean out the...lower intestines."

"What for?"

Out of patience Elio leaned over the table and hissed "They help me poop Mari, does that clear things up for you?" At that the young cyborg erupted in a fit of giggles, causing her handler to mutter "This is why I don't explain things to you. It's time to change the subject...how was your night aboard Pagani's yacht?"

"It's really cool" she answered, "I was exhausted when I came aboard, and could have gone straight to sleep, but you know Mr. Pagani, he's so eager to be a good host that I just couldn't say no."

"Very good" Elio praised, pleased with her courtesy.

She continued; "...so after I had a shower we all watched a movie together on Mr. Pagani's _huge_ television. Kara cried during the sad parts of _The Lion King, _and..." Marisa looked both directions and leaned over the table as if telling a terrible secret. She whispered "...I think Mr. Pagani did too!"

"Nothing wrong with that" Alboreto chuckled. "You know, that film is based on William Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, remember I showed you the Kenneth Branagh version? What do you think of that?"

"One had singing cartoon animals, one had an awesome sword duel...which do you think _I_ liked best?" Marisa said with a sly smile. "Oh, I've seen the Mel Gibson version of _Hamlet_ too...Mr. Hillshire started making us read it for literature class, but right afterward Mr. Jean came in and popped in the DVD for arts class. I've never seen Mr. Hillshire get so angry, or curse so much! Triela was _totally_ embarrassed!" As she laughed a ring of calamari, coated in marinara sauce slipped off her fork and bounced down the front of her white dress. "Oh no!" shrieked the girl, scrambling to catch the offending morsel, but even her cyborg reactions were not fast enough to prevent it from coming to rest in her lap. "It's ruined!" she wailed.

"This is why I told you that you should put a napkin in your lap" grumbled Elio.

"I didn't want to look like a dork" Marisa groaned.

The handler cast a glance at his own napkin tucked into his shirt, but decided to say nothing. "It'll be fine, you just need to wash it with some club soda before it dries and sets" he tried to assure her. "_Cameriera, acqua frizzante __per favore!_" he called, summoning with his hand. When she arrived the sympathetic waitress saw what the crisis was and urgently ushered Marisa off to the ladies room.

Left on his own Elio finished his antipasto salad and gave Jean a call. Mari came back a few minutes later looking despondent. "It's ruined...I'll never be able to wear this again."

Her handler took a hard took at the front of the white dress and replied "Marisa dear, it's perfect...a little wet, but there's not a trace of marinara sauce left. The club soda worked perfectly."

"What are you talking about?" she exclaimed, "There's a huge, ugly red stain right there! You're just trying to make me feel better!"

Elio looked closer but still did not see a thing He finally realized what was going on; "Marisa, you can only see it because of your cyborg eyes. I _assure_ you, I can see absolutely nothing. If there's anything there it's totally _invisible_." She accepted his word word but was still depressed by the perceived disaster. "Finish your lunch...Mancini & Rissi will be here soon with our next mission." No longer caring whether she _looked like a dork_ Marisa carefully tucked a napkin into her collar and laid another in her lap before finishing the plate of calamari.

Just as she was stowing away her last few bites the white Ford transit pulled up to the curb in front of the restaurant. Elio greeted them with a wave, but it seemed like nobody was in a good mood. "How did it go?" asked the gray-bearded man.

"We got all of our targets...they're bagged in the van" muttered Alessandro, but he said no more. Avise just stood and smoked another cigarette.

The cyborgs were obviously ignoring each-other, discontent was always easier to read in their faces than those of the adults. When Marisa stood up she provided a welcome distraction from their feud. "Goodness, Marisa, what happened to your dress?" exclaimed Agapita.

Marisa turned to her handler and wailed "ELIIIOOOOO! You told me it was invisible!"

"Oh jeeze, look what you started" he muttered, "Mari it's time to go to work anyway; I have a change of clothes for you in the car. I am sure that when we get back to Rome the SWA laundry can fix whatever it is only your cyborg eyes can see."

After fetching their work clothes from the Lancia Lybra Elio traded keys with Avise. The last thing he saw was the Mancini fratello take both front seats and the Rissi pair take the back. Alboreto shook his head. _This was bound to happen,_ he thought, _hopefully there's only a few days left on this job._ He hopped up into the van where Marisa already sat, staring forlornly at a stain he could not see any trace of himself. "We've got some bodies to dismember and sink, kiddo, that ought to cheer you up."

"I suppose" groaned Marisa.

Back at field headquarters stomachs were rumbling, so the arrival of Michele Pagani was greeted enthusiastically. He was tired, and looking forward to a quick nap but he felt obligated to ask Ferro "Have you got anything for Kara & I to do?"

"Not at the moment" replied the support agent, "but none of us have had a chance to take a lunch break. It sure would be nice if a gourmet chef walked in & wanted to whip something up." Ferro, Priscilla, Claes, Henrietta, Giuseppe, Brian and Allison (who was just coming out of the shower after scrubbing off 6 layers of construction site dust) all looked to him expectantly. Despite his fatigue it was a mandate Michele could not refuse.

"Do you need some help Mr. Pagani?" asked Henrietta, who was always eager to learn when there was cooking to be done.

"Eh, sure...could you put a big pot of water on to boil while I go wash up?"

"What are you going to make?" 'Etta chirped.

Pagani looked over what was available and answered "How does a spaghetti bolognese sound to everyone?"

"Awfully basic by _your_ standards" teased Claes, earning her a playful shove from Kara.

"Well, it's a classic" sighed Michele, and then added quietly "_and it's easy_."

**_New Kid in School_**

A boy's bathroom was exotic and mysterious territory to Rico. Having entered by climbing through a small window she waited for the final school-bell to release a rush of students to blend in with, but granted plenty of time to spare she examined the mysterious fixtures. Rico was vaguely aware that boys could pee standing up but she had not considered it a confirmed fact until this moment when she stood before a wall mounted urinal. This new wisdom she was acquiring would surely make her the center of conversation at the next tea party back home at the SWA dormitory.

Jean had instructed her to stay out of sight until the final bell rang so after checking her appearance in the mirror one last time Rico cut her explorations short and locked herself in a familiar toilet stall to wait. Hidden up her right sleeve was the poisoned dagger, safely isolated in a layer of plastic wrap. She reviewed her target's name...Claudio Forti...and closed her eyes to focus on the picture of him that she had burned into her memory. This would be an easy job, run up, ram a dagger into this Padania man, slip away unnoticed, make Jean happy.

The bell startled her back into consciousness. Rico had been so relaxed that she had dozed off in the stall, her head resting on the soft toilet paper roll. There was plenty of noise outside so the blonde girl put on her uniform cap and carefully exited the bathroom.

Back at the SWA compound there was always a great deal of laughing and fooling around after class (and sometimes during) but it was nothing compared to this. Boys shouted and threw papers. One had another in a headlock, and across the hall one tackled a friend. Rico could tell they were friends because they were both laughing. Everyone was laughing, running and making a _lot_ of noise. The cyborg was not scared by the riotous scene, but she did wish to keep a low profile as Jean had ordered, so she slipped through the chaos and lined up near the big double doors where dozens of fidgeting boys had already gathered to be the first ones to escape when they opened.

"Hey!" came a challenging voice to Rico's right, "I don't recognize you...are you new?"

"Ummm...yeah...I'm the new boy" she answered stiffly, "Emilio." It was the first male name that popped into her head. After that she was frozen. _What do I say next? What would a __boy__ say?_ "I sure do like girls with big boobs!"

The boy looked at her strangely for a moment and then grinned ear to ear. "Yeah," he replied, "so do I!" Rico smiled. _It's easy being a boy!_

Talking to this boy was fun, but Rico was denied further conversation by the opening of the front doors. All around her boys took off like racehorses released from the gates and she was swept along in the rush. Outside a line of parents waited next to their automobiles, there to pick up their sons. Among them was the target. Rico flicked her wrist and let the dagger drop into position. She built up speed, passing several boys. Almost on cue Claudio Forti dropped down on one knee. Rico passed on his left and turned on her right foot, slamming the dagger into his kidney from behind. The force of her strike was sufficient to tear away the plastic covering and expose the Padanian to the full effect of the poison. Before anyone knew what had happened Rico was gone.

At the end of the block one person had seen everything Rico had done, from start to finish. From the driver's seat of the Ford Mondeo Jean Croce watched Claudio Forti fall, and numerous boys & adults rush to see what was wrong. Forti's son was first to notice the dagger lodged in his own father's side.

"It's done Jean, sir" reported the blonde cyborg as she hopped into the back seat of the Mondeo.

Croce did not turn to look at her, keeping his eyes on the scene unfolding in front of the school. "Stay down, out of sight. Did anyone see your face?"

"One boy...but it was inside, he didn't see me do it." Rico explained. She dared to pop her head up a bit and pointed out the boy. "It was him, the one kneeling over the target."

The boy who Rico had spoken to was Forti's own son...now kneeling over the lifeless body of his father with hands awash in blood. Jean watched for a few moments more, as the boy's screams of panic turned to moans of anguish and another young man joined the cult of the fatherless. "Sorry kid," muttered Croce with remorse he did not usually feel, "but that's the way it goes sometimes." He lit a cigarette before driving away.

**_Officer Fonseca_**

Allison & Brian barely had the chance to wolf down a plate of Pagani's spaghetti before they were called out on another mission. Despite being deprived of a casual lunch Allison had no complaints, this was a driving mission, and one she would relish even if she did have to drive another boring Fiat. When she asked for another loaner car Ferro prudently avoided telling the PS motor-pool supervisor that the cyborg driving today was the same one who had destroyed one of their Fiat's yesterday. To Ferro's surprise she did not meet with the trouble she expected; it seemed that Public Safety was very motivated to see this particular mission carried out successfully.

"This hit is strictly revenge" explained Brian after they'd picked up the loaner from the Public Safety garage, "Giani Fonseca is a regular cop, but last summer he sold out 2 PS investigators to a mafia hit squad. One died, one is paralyzed for life. Today we're going to pay him back."

"Where is he now?" asked Allison, adjusting her seat & mirrors.

Brian pointed to a spot on the map, outside Palermo. "He's been assigned to traffic patrol. What I need you to do is get his attention, make him chase you straight into an ambush with no witnesses."

"You _want_ me to speed...and get chased by a cop?" giggled Allison, "Oh my god this could be the coolest mission we've ever had!"

Now alone in the rather basic Fiat Albea Allison made one slow pass on Giani Fonseca's speed trap before making her move. She grinned; the officer had an Alfa Romeo 159, a much faster car than the Fiat she was piloting. This would be a fun challenge. The cyborg drove a couple hundred meters down the road and radioed in. "This is the Foxtrot calling Beta team, is the road clear?"

"Affirmative Foxtrot; Beta team confirms the road has been blocked off for 30 minutes, there is no civilian traffic."

"Copy Beta, I'm beginning my run...expect shots fired."

Allison tossed the Fiat sideways and yanked the parking brake, sliding the car sideways until it had spun around 180 degrees. Smoke poured off the front tires, she was on her way. With her exceptional vision the cyborg could see Officer Fonseca tracking her with his radar gun from a hundred meters away. She was sure her speed, now 140kph in a 90 zone, would be enough to draw him into a chase, but a little overkill never hurt. Just as she tore past Allison rolled down the power passenger window and released a burst of fire from an MP5 she had sitting on the passenger seat, careful not to hit the Alfa.

"Holy shit!" screamed Giani, spilling his coffee as he ducked for cover. "This is _Brigadiere_ Fonseca, I am in pursuit of a green Fiat Albea on the SP1 _Stradale Bellolampo_, shots have been fired, I request backup!"

"Acknowledged Sergeant Fonseca, we have 3 cars en-route. Roadblock will be set up in the tunnel" replied a voice that the officer thought was his dispatcher. He did not know that his radio had been tampered with, and he was in fact speaking with Allison's Beta team.

Ahead, Allison fought her instinct to run away and grab a big lead. She sandbagged until the police car had caught her, and then turned on the speed...what little speed the Fiat could deliver. Since her own car was woefully underpowered Allison had to depend on sheer nerve to maintain ludicrous corner speeds, sliding the poor Fiat as its skinny tires protested loudly and left 4 black streaks on the pavement as testimony to their mistreatment.

Fonseca was hot on her heels, but knowing that the suspect had a gun he did not risk getting too close. He felt confident that he could spin the Fiat around as it entered one of the numerous turns; its driver was already taking enormous risks by pitching the car sideways and maxing out the suspension in a full lean. Although he had a much faster car it was difficult to keep up with his rapid prey. "_Probably high on drugs_" the officer muttered to himself.

Allison was indeed on a high as the conditioning drugs coursed through her veins. They made her sharp, clear headed, and heightened her already enhanced senses. In this state of controlled euphoria the teenaged cyborg felt directly in contact with all 4 tires, able to modulate exactly how much traction they each had with a flick of the steering-wheel and careful dabs on the throttle. She avoided using the brakes unless absolutely necessary...up against the faster Alfa Romeo she could not afford to lose any momentum.

The two cars were moving over 160kph when they entered the tunnel. Expecting a roadblock with tire spike strips Fonseca backed out of the throttle and slowed down. There was indeed a roadblock, but not the one he was expecting. 2 Public Safety cars blocked the exit to the tunnel, and as soon as both cars had passed inside a pair of Mercedes G-series trucks rolled out of the woods to block off the entrance.

Allison cut the wheel & yanked her hand brake, spinning around so that the Fiat now provided her cover in case the policeman began to fire. For his part Giani Fonseca did not fire. He stepped out of his patrol car with an automatic drawn, taking cover behind his door. "Step out of the car and get on the ground!" His voice echoed in the motor tunnel. Knowing she was covered Allison did as he said, leaving the MP5 behind and slowly exiting the Fiat with her hands in the air. "Jesus Fucking Christ! You're just a goddamn kid!' yelled the policeman, but he did not lower his weapon. Although she was over 30 meters away Fonseca could swear she was smiling. "_I knew it,_" he thought, "_high on dope_."

A clicking sound interrupted his thoughts. "Lay your weapon on the bonnet of the car" growled a voice from behind, speaking perfect Italian with a foreign accent. Giani's mind struggled to understand what had happened...he thought the two Mercedes that pulled in behind him were Palermo police...his backup. Now he had a pistol pointed right behind his ear. "I have a message from Eva Capolino & Hyram Buchman."

"I d-don't know who th-they are!" stammered the officer, putting his hands in the air.

Brian McDonnell hissed "You should, they're the two government agents you sold out to the _Cosa Nostra _last summer. Does that ring a bell?"

"L-l-look, we can work something out," pleaded the dirty cop, "I still have most of the money, and I can g-give you all my mafia contacts if you can protect me."

"Who do you think rolled over on you, idiot?" McDonnell laughed mockingly, "Your name was the first one Hector Demagni spit out when we picked him up yesterday. No, you _don't_ have anything we want...you're screwed you _pezzo di merda_."

"No! No, we can work something..." Giani screamed, but this time it was a bullet that interrupted him. The _Belfast Bastard_ pulled his trigger and sent a .22 caliber round straight into Fonseca's skull, where it bounced around a few times but never came out.

Before the dead officer had stopped twitching Allison dashed over and exclaimed "Dibs on driving the Alfa back!"

**__Ballerina del Sud__**

"How's your head feel?" Elio asked, checking the fading bruises from Marisa's morning encounter with a steel door.

"Absolutely fine!" she chirped. Mari was feeling great, out on the water on a clear breezy day, almost a whole kilometer offshore already in a small catamaran launch. Elio had turned over the controls to her as soon as they were away from the dock, so she set a straight & true course to where Mr. Pagani reported the _Ballerina del Sud_ was anchored, steering by the compass binnacle.

Satisfied that his cyborg was not feeling any residual effects from her head impact Elio sat down on the bench and enjoyed the rest of their ride. "That's got to be her" Alboreto announced, pointing out a white sailboat covered with birds.

Marisa squinted and strained to see the name. "You're right" she replied, surprise evident in her voice, "but how did you know? Even _I_ can barely read it from here!"

"Look at all those sea-gulls" her handler answered, "there's something messy on that boat and they're enjoying every bite of it."

Once they had pulled alongside Mari handed the controls over to Elio so she could jump across to the sailboat and tie up. In minutes she had secured lines to the port side of the much larger vessel, and reached down to help her handler up on deck. "That's pretty disgusting" the young red-head giggled, looking over the corpse of the woman Kara had shot first. "At least it'll be easy to cut her up before we sink her." The woman's chest cavity was blown wide open with one breast hanging to the side and as Elio had predicted the gulls had been feasting on whatever soft flesh they could get their beaks into. It was not difficult to find Kara's second victim, a blood trail led directly to the steering cockpit. There sat the remains of a man with the top half of his skull missing, his one remaining eye dangling by the nerve. A single big sea-gull lorded over this prize, unwilling to share bits of succulent brain matter that clung to the inside of the Padania man's skull.

"It sure looks different close up," muttered Alboreto, "this is not the view you get through a rifle scope."

"I wouldn't know..." Mari sighed, "...you always take the sniper shots on our missions."

Elio put his arm around her shoulders and gave a reassuring squeeze. "Keep practicing...you'll get your chance soon enough." He looked around the boat and suggested, "Let's drag these two down to the little boat...the deck is flat and there's more room to work. It'll be easier to clean up as well."

"Okay, but can we check below deck for the laptop computer first?" Marisa asked, "I kinda need to use the bathroom."

"Aboard a boat it's called the _head_" Elio teased, but Marisa was in no mood to discuss nautical terminology.

"Whatever...I've _gotta go_."

The fratello opened the screen door and walked down a few stairs into the dark interior of the vessel. "Can you see a light switch?" Alboreto asked, his eyes not nearly as good in the dark as those of his student. He felt his way around in complete darkness, and felt it odd that all of the windows were covered. _Almost like a trap..._

"ELIO LOOKOUT!" shouted Mari. She threw herself into the path of an attacker that seemed to materialize out of the darkness, getting knocked down in the process. What little light there was reflected off a knife blade, and Alboreto was able to step back just in time and avoid being hit. The attacker knew to keep his momentum up, and backed Elio straight into the stairwell. He slammed the watertight hatch and threw a locking bolt.

"You just made a _big mistake_" hissed Marisa. She had gotten to her feet and slipped into the darkness herself. With cyborg eyes she now had the advantage, and now that she did not have to worry about protecting her handler she could focus her full attention on the mysterious opponent before her.

He wasted no time in launching another attack, low light was obviously not a problem for him either. Marisa drew her Beretta out, but the instant it took to chamber a round left her vulnerable. The attacker grabbed her arm and twisted it in such a way that even a cyborg could not hold on...the 9mm pistol dropped out of her hand and bounced under the galley bench. Furious, Marisa grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the ceiling. It was then that she realized something. _He's just a little bit taller than I am!_

The dark-haired boy fell to the ground, stunned by his opponent's unexpected strength. Marisa finally got a good look at him...he was no more than 12 years old. "So you're one of the government's monsters?" he sneered, "I know all about you & I've been waiting to take one of you on."

The voice of her handler rang inside Mari's head, giving her the instructions she need; _Make him mad...psyche him out._ She shrugged her shoulders and replied in a mocking tone "Well I have no idea who _you_ are, and I don't see why I should care either." The boy attacked furiously, using the tight confines of the cabin to accelerate his attacks and block Marisa's counter-strikes. She had a distinct power advantage but was unable to exploit it in such a tight space. Her opponent on the other hand used his speed and knowledge of the room to full advantage. It took all of Marisa's agility to avoid his knife, leaving her no time to reach for her own. _Damn it, I'm in real danger here... _Elio was still outside, she could hear him furiously banging on the hatch, trying to get back inside, but she knew that hatch was built to withstand storms at sea, which could exert _far_ more power than even her handler. _I've got to do this alone_. "You're going to _die_" the boy growled, "and I'm going to cut off your stupid pigtails as a trophy, little girl!"

The boy was using a post in the center of the cabin to block Marisa's strikes, so she decided to give him a surprise. She swung around to build up speed and kicked the 6inch beam, splintering it into a thousand pieces and carrying through enough momentum to hit her attacker _hard_.

He fell to the floor, and lost his knife, ironically under the same bench where Mari's Beretta had gone. The cyborg took a step to finish him, but her leg faltered and she lost balance. _Shit, I damaged it! _He saw her weakness and resumed his attack from the opposite side, forcing Marisa backward on her weak leg. _I have to finish him!_ her brain screamed. It would take another desperate move.

Marisa pretended to stumble on her good leg, and put out both hands for balance, leaving herself wide open for attack. The boy took the bait, and slammed her in the jaw with a powerful uppercut. Even though Mari expected it the blow dazed her..._this kid can really hit hard! _She still had enough energy left to spring the trap. Delivering what he thought would be a knockout blow the boy left himself vulnerable. The cyborg grabbed his ears and smashed their heads together, crushing his skull instantly. They both fell to the ground, one dead, one dizzy and exhausted.

The sound of gunfire snapped Mari out of her daze. Elio unloaded the entire magazine from his own Beretta and finally broke through the hatch. She tried to get up, but tripped on her weak leg. "Stay down...are you alright?"

"Elio, he was _really tough_!" she panted, "My right leg is damaged and he caught me in the jaw, I think I have a concussion."

"Jeeze, he's just a lad..." Alboreto checked the body to confirm he was really dead and told her "Okay...I'm going to sweep the rest of the boat to make sure we don't find any more surprises." He replaced the magazine in his pistol and fished her's out from under the bench. "You don't move, and yell if you need me."

By the time he returned Marisa had pulled herself up to the bench, and was peeling plastic off the windows to let some light in. Now that she could get a good look at her opponent she wondered what his story was. "How do you feel?" Elio asked, taking her head in his hands and examining the bruise on her chin.

"Less dizzy...I think I can walk" she replied.

"Would you like to go outside and get some fresh air?"

"No...but I still need to use the bathroom."

A half hour later the fratello sat on deck. Elio had radioed _Bright Star_ and Dr. Donato was coming over in a launch to take a look at Marisa's leg before she moved too much.

"He was really amazing Elio..." Marisa explained, drinking from one of two plastic water bottles they had found on deck, "...obviously he was an ordinary human, but he nearly beat me...a _cyborg_!"

"Doesn't sound ordinary to me" said her handler. "It's possible that these two Padan's were trying to raise their own Pinocchio. Or perhaps someone else had trained him and he was guarding these two."

The red-head's eyebrows perked up. "You mean I might have killed the _next Pinocchio_?"

"That's quite a victory" Elio praised.

"Yeah..." the girl muttered, "...you know, every cyborg knows the story of Triela's battle with the real Pinocchio, and we all kinda fantasize about how we would fight him if it had been us. But I've got to admit, if this boy had been fully grown up...18 years old and experienced like Pino, he probably would have killed me. I...I hate saying this but...I was _scared_."

Alboreto put a reassuring arm around her and replied "I'm sure Triela was too, but you both won...and we're both going to learn from this. It was stupid of me to assume Kara & Michele could have cleared the boat from 1000 meters away, or that Public Safety knew exactly how many terrorists were on board...we should have been more alert."

Marisa was silent for a while, but finally said "So, aside from getting damaged and almost getting killed, this is pretty cool isn't it? I stopped the next Pinocchio before he could do any real damage!"

"I know; good job" he chuckled, "but I don't want you talking with your friends about this just yet. I need to discuss this with Jean & the Chief first. This is the kind of information Lorenzo needs to hear directly, not through gossip."

The happy smile of triumph fell from Marisa's face, replaced by the dismay of terrible injustice. "You mean I can't tell anyone about this?" she wailed.

"Just for a day or two...let me get the higher-ups briefed and then you can take full credit. Consider that this might not be the only _Pinocchio Junior_ lurking in the shadows...every handler and every cyborg has to be ready for that possibility and only Chief Lorenzo can get the information out to everyone quickly enough" explained the old spy. He mussed her hair playfully and added "As soon as we have a battle plan to deal with this you're free to brag all you want."

"Okay" she agreed. Looking out over the water she noted that the sky had turned from blue to gold. "It's getting late, we'd better get to work on these bodies, cutting them up, wrapping them in chains."

Elio shook his head. "I'll do that, you rest that leg and that head of yours."

Mari did not like that idea; "Elio please? I don't wanna just sit here and do _nothing_. I promise I won't walk on my damaged leg and I _swear_ I'll tell you if I start to feel bad."

Reluctantly her handler agreed. "Alright, you can start on these two bodies up here, no jumping down onto the launch. When it comes time to dump the bodies I'll do the lifting, _hai_ _capito_?"

"Yes Sir!" she chirped, "I'd feel bad if I didn't get to finish the job!"

Alboreto nodded and gave her a smile. The job was _far_ from finished. Dozens of missions that usually took a week by themselves, all crammed into a few days...men, women & cyborgs all feeling the strain, and now injuries to contend with, the operation was just reaching its most difficult stage and the old spy knew it. He watched Marisa, silhouetted against the sunset, limping around the boat and setting herself to a grizzly task that for some reason filled her with happiness.

"At least one more day" he wondered, knowing the hard part was only beginning.

**END OF PART 2 **


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Etta...Rico...Petra...come on, wake up."

"Aww, damn...Kara what time is it?"

"0300...I know, it sucks. Aggie...Allie...it's time to wake up."

"Even Avise doesn't get me up this early."

"Can't we turn on a light?"

"No Rico, we don't want to wake up Ferro, Priscilla, Claes & Olga, they all worked late last night and we don't need them on this job anyway...it's just us & our handlers."

"Where's Marisa? She didn't come home last night."

"She hurt her leg and had to spend the night in the field hospital aboard _Bright Star_. She & Mr. Alboreto will meet us out at the job site."

"Hurt her leg? Doing what?"

"It's Marisa so, something dumb & reckless I'm guessing." All the cyborgs laughed at Petrushka's joke. On the bed Ferro rolled over and groaned, so they all shut up quickly, getting dressed in silence and tip-toeing out of the bedroom.

**_The Third Day_**

An hour later all 7 fratelli were on a rooftop in the industrial neighborhood of Palermo, surrounded by ropes, grappling hooks and a huge assortment of empty coffee cups. "How's the leg feeling Mari?" asked Giuseppe Croce (evoking a jealous glare from a tired & cranky Henrietta).

"Just fine, sir" she replied honestly, "Dr. Donato said I torqued it out of alignment but he had it working just right in less than an hour."

"So how did you twist it that badly?" asked Petra with a smarmy grin on her face. The other cyborgs awaited her answer with equally irritating smiles, obviously expecting a funny & embarrassing story.

Marisa discontentedly grumbled "I jumped down from the sloop to the launch and landed on it wrong." She gave her handler, who had forbidden her from explaining the real reason for her injury, a sour look. Elio bent down and whispered in her ear, "I've already spoken to Jean...I'll talk to Chief Lorenzo later today and it won't have to be a secret anymore." That was little comfort to Mari, who could hear the other girls giggling at her expense.

"Gather around, all of you!" ordered Jean, laying a map on the concrete rooftop. Once his force was assembled he began; "Look across the street; the target this morning is ostensibly a chop-shop for stolen cars...bad enough in its own right but hardly a concern for Special Operations. The reality is that this shop is turning out some of the most effective car bombs in the world. Frame rails are cut apart and packed with explosives, then re-welded so they become virtually undetectable at a traffic screening. From there the cars are driven North, where the Semtex might be removed for other uses, or the whole car is detonated in a public place. Current intelligence suggests that this is where the garbage truck which exploded in front of the DCPP in Rome originated."

"That's the bomb that killed Angelica" growled Pagani. There were nods from the others around the circle.

The Field Commander continued; "A convoy of cars is expected to leave this morning, so all the technicians will be here doing final checks, and the drivers will be arriving soon. At 0415 we storm the building...kill as many as possible, we have no reason to take prisoners here."

"I'm willing to kill a dozen Padanian's just for making me wake up this early" joked Kara.

Allison added "And for cutting up so many innocent cars for their evil plans!"

"Fine...I'm glad to see you're all motivated," snapped Jean, "now shut up and listen. Our first team will enter through the skylight and move toward the back of the building before attacking. Second team will toss grapples and swing down through the 3rd floor windows, they'll be responsible for the front of the building. Hopefully we can catch our enemies in a cross-fire before they even have a chance to arm. It's now 0405, Mancini, do you have any objection to leading Team One?"

"No sir" replied the ex-infantry officer, "I'll need one volunteer to jump across and establish the crossover line."

"I'll do it!" exclaimed Marisa, raising her hand as if she was in class. She was tired of being teased about her leg injury and felt eager to prove that her body was in 100% fighting shape.

Avise looked at her with skepticism. Not only did Marisa have a questionable leg, she was the shortest of the Generation 2 girls. He would have preferred a stronger Series One cyborg, or at least a Series Two with longer legs to make the 12 meter jump. "Marisa, I'm not sure you're..."

Seeing her opportunity slipping away Marisa clipped a carabineer & rope to her harness and announced "I'm fine...see!" Before anyone could stop her she took a running leap and easily cleared the distance, intentionally landing on her feet rather than tucking & rolling, thereby demonstrating the soundness of her leg.

Some of the other handlers shot disapproving looks at Elio, but Jean didn't seem to care how things got done, as long as they _got done_. The Field Commander keyed his radio and ordered "Now pull the line tight and tie it off to something solid so _Maggiore_ Mancini & his team can cross over.

"Yes, Sir" Mari replied enthusiastically. She pulled the line tight and began backing up, looking in both directions for a tie off point. Unfortunately she looked a little too intently, and lost track of where she was going.

Marisa tripped and lost her balance, falling backwards, smashing through the skylight glass. Her rope zipped across the rooftop until it stopped with a hard twang. All the cyborgs & handlers stood watching with mouths agape. Slapping his face with his palm Alboreto was heard to mutter "_Bloody hell..._"

Moments later there was the sound of gunfire, and flashed from the skylight. "Goddamn it, go help her!" shouted Jean, "Teams One & Two, go, NOW!" The cyborgs needed no further instructions...Agapita, Henrietta & Kara each took running leaps onto the opposing rooftop and clipped off lines to the skylight frame so they could drop down into the fight. Petrushka, Rico & Allison tossed grappling hooks & swung down to the 3rd floor windows, smashing through in a cascade of glass.

It had been Marisa who fired first. None of the technicians or drivers on the shop floor below knew what to make of an 11 year old girl dangling by a rope from their shattered skylight, but the survivors reacted quickly after being sprayed with a full magazine of 7.62 rounds from the girl's Kel-Tech. She hung there, dangerously exposed but firing on full automatic until the other cyborgs arrived...Kara pausing on her zip-line just long enough to slash Mari's rope and free her from a dangerous position.

There was no time to follow the plan and rush to the back of the building, so Agapita, Kara & Marisa took up position on a 3rd floor catwalk. Henrietta was there too, but she was already injured, a mangled right hand preventing her from using her P90. The young cyborg was doing the best she could with her pistol, but re-loading was nearly impossible with only one hand.

At the front of the building Petra, Rico & Allison were having better luck. They had gotten into position and found cover but because the other team had not reached its mark they were unable to produce the desired crossfire. "Save ammo!" Allison shouted, "We're gonna run out at this rate!" Her room-mate nodded, but Rico kept on firing as she had been, slowly & methodically, one round at a time like the instinctive sniper she was. The majority of her shots actually hit something, which was better than anyone else was doing. "I suggest we just give all our ammo to Rico" muttered Petra.

Rico's success notwithstanding things where not going well; after Marisa's initial, accidental attack the enemy had managed to get to cover, and a few had even escaped out the front doors. Outside on the opposite rooftop the handlers tried their best to pick these escapees off but in low light they were hard to hit, and most escaped.

With Mari's original line cut Avise, Giuseppe & Brian were forced to establish a new crossover line, Brian tossing a grappling hook. As soon as it was tied off they shimmied over one by one, hoping to reach the back of the shop and finally establish the crossfire. They found the staircase padlocked, and with no cyborg among them to break the lock Brian had to painstakingly pick it, wasting precious time.

Jean remained on the roof with the radio set, hoping to salvage something out of the botched attack, while Michele, Elio & Alessandro ran down 4 flights of stairs to attack the front doors. "Team One, come in, respond!" Jean barked.

At last Kara replied "This is team one. Henrietta is wounded but functional, we are unable to reach the back of the building as ordered!"

"Understood Team One," Jean answered, "Spread out...we have a third team attempting to reach the back of the building, team one is reassigned to fire-support for team two and a new team assaulting the front door!"

"Copy that sir!" Marisa called over her radio. Eager to make up for her screw up at the skylight she dashed out on the catwalk to outflank a knot of hostiles working their way to the front door, covered from team two's fire by racks of car parts. Her move was successful, as she managed to hit 3 of the Padanians and push the rest back. Despite the order to spread out Kara stayed close to Henrietta, covering her during the awkward process of reloading her P239. For her part Agapita dashed across the catwalk to the opposite side of the building, getting into position to support her handler and his two companions when they broke into the stairwell.

Elio, Michele & Alessandro made it to the front door safely, due in large part to Marisa's new firing position, which kept any hostiles from making a run to safety. All the exits were now sealed off, there would be no more escapees, but the situation was far from under control. "Teams, report! What the hell is going on over there?" demanded Jean.

"Team One spread out over 3 points on the 3rd floor catwalk" Kara answered.

"Team Two continuing to lay suppressive fire from the front," Petra reported, "hostiles are pretty well dug in...even Rico isn't getting any more hits."

"This is Mancini...McDonnell just got through the lock and we're moving down the stairwell. We'll be in position in 20 seconds!"

"Alboreto here...Pagani, Rissi & I are at the front door bottling them up. Give the word and we'll move in to flush them out!"

As he spoke a bullet hit the door-frame next to Alessandro's head, sending a shower of wood splinters flying. "Oh sure...we'll just move in and flush them out" he joked.

"Aww come on, this should be easy for you two young fellows" Elio retorted, slamming a new magazine into his G3 rifle.

Pagani shook his head at the whole screwed up situation; "Just because you're old as dirt doesn't make the rest of us _young_" he replied. Jean's voice crackled over the radio, giving the order for all teams to advance. "Alright...let's go!" Michele exclaimed, running through the doors first as Elio & Alessandro blazed a path for him with their rifles.

The cyborgs dropped down from their positions on the catwalk, leaving Rico, Kara & the injured Henrietta up there to keep the heat on from above. It didn't take long for the 3 handlers and 4 cyborgs to flush out remaining pockets of resistance...these were mechanics and drivers, not experienced Padania fighters. One last group resisted until even they were pushed to the back of their building, where instead of finding an escape route to the roof they were met by the barrels of Avise, Brian & Giuseppe. Two fell dead before the final 5 surrendered, drawing an end to the shooting.

Now there was only the sound of approaching police sirens...making everyone wish they'd brought Ferro along to smooth things over with the local authorities. "All of you stay inside and watch over the prisoners" ordered Jean over the radio, "I'll be at the front door calming those police down. We have Public Safety pick-up vans on the way, but it'll be at least 20 minutes."

"We copy, Jean" replied the Field Commander's brother, "do you need any help out there?"

"That would be good...Rissi & Mancini come on out here. The rest of you make sure nobody see's the cyborgs...Giuse, see to Henrietta's condition."

By this time Kara had brought 'Etta down to the shop floor, where the young cyborg reluctantly presented her destroyed hand for inspection. "I didn't get hit" she admitted sorrowfully, "I got my fingers caught in my zip-line and ripped a few off."

"Does it hurt?" Giuseppe asked. He looked to Elio, who always carried an injector pen full of sedative and the conditioning drug cocktail.

She shook her head, but was still close to tears. "No...but now I'll have to go back to Rome and I can't stay and work with you Giuse!"

As Giuseppe tried to placate his disappointed cyborg he was interrupted by his brother's voice; "That's not likely Henrietta. I can't have two cyborgs out of action at this point." The Field Commander had left the task of keeping local authorities out in the hands of Alessandro & Avise so he could come inside and check on his combat force. "Marisa! Get over here and report!"

Hanging her head low Mari faced Jean, sure that he would be furious about her screw up on the roof. "Sorry sir. I blew it up there and threw the whole mission off."

"Is it your leg?" Croce growled, motioning toward the limb she had damaged the day before.

Marisa was stunned..._she_ was the second cyborg that Jean planned to pull out of action. "Sir...no! My leg is fine...Dr. Donato fixed it yesterday, it feels perfect! I just screwed up, I wasn't watching where I was going and I tripped over the skylight!"

"I'm not convinced," growled Croce, opening his cigarette pack but finding it empty, "I want Donato to check it again and get it right this time!" He looked around desperately, but realized he'd sent his two smokers outside, so there was no one to borrow a cigarette from.

Marisa stamped her foot, both out of frustration and a desire to demonstrate the functionality of her right leg. "Mr. Jean, please! I'm just fine! It's totally _my fault_ that I blew it on the roof! Yell at me, smack me, do anything you want but _please_ don't take me out of action for a problem that doesn't exist!"

Croce was not accustomed to a cyborg arguing with his orders, and he didn't like it. Irritable and craving his nicotine the Field Commander snapped "Marisa I would be more than happy to hit you if I had the time, but now I'm two cyborgs down and we have a full day ahead of us. You and Henrietta will report to the field hospital aboard _Bright Star_ and I don't want to see you back until you've been checked thoroughly by both doctors...that is an order! Pagani, you're in charge of these two." Without waiting for a reaction Jean stomped off to check on the prisoners, who were seated in a huddle, guarded by Rico & Agapita.

Mari turned to Elio, hoping he could change Jean's mind, but her handler only shook his head. "Better safe than sorry, lass" he told her. "You get yourself checked out and maybe you'll be back in action before the day is over."

"But I'm _fine_!" she pleaded, "There isn't anything wrong with me!"

Dropping down on one knee Alboreto looked his cyborg in the eye. "I agree with Mr. Croce...it would be safer if you went to the field hospital." Feeling betrayed by her own handler the girl looked at him with tears pooling in her eyes. Elio did not relent though; "Mari, I have my doubts too. You took a lot of abuse yesterday, two head impacts and a damaged leg. I'd feel better if you got checked out, _capito?_"

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. It was Mr. Pagani who said softly "Come on Marisa...I'm sure it's nothing at all and you'll be back with Elio soon, but we have to go now."

"You mean I'm allowed to walk on my own?" the girl replied sourly, "I'm surprised you don't force me to ride in a _wheelchair._"

* * *

The rest of the Section Two force made it back to their temporary headquarters on the 4th floor of the Public Safety building just as their support staff was tumbling out of bed. Ferro & Olga were dressed and preparing breakfast...Claes & Priscilla were getting dressed and washing up respectively.

"How did it go?" asked the Russian woman. Dour, aggravated faces on both men & cyborgs told the story before anyone even spoke and Olga was instantly sorry she asked.

"Not well," muttered Jean, "the attack timing was fucked up...there were escapees, and they had time to destroy the computer hard drives. Two cyborgs are out of action until the doctors can put them back together."

"Who got injured?" asked Claes, a palpable chill running down her spine. Whenever she heard about one of her counterparts being wounded in a fight a surge of guilty feelings overtook the non-combatant cyborg. She had the same powerful, bullet resistant body all of them did, but something in her psyche prevented her from even firing a weapon without flinching. Claes wanted desperately to support her friends in any way possible but could not imagine taking a human life herself, and at times like this it shamed her that she was not able to help or protect them in battle.

"It wasn't anything too serious" Allison assured her worried sister, "Henrietta got a hand caught in her zip-line and tore off a few fingers, and Marisa..." Allison stopped here, unsure of what to say.

Jean finished for her; "Marisa's damaged leg gave out, that's what blew our timing. I've sent them both to the yacht to be serviced." He dragged a chair over to an open window so he could finally have the cigarette he'd been craving since the operation ended. That was a signal to everyone else; _leave me alone for a few minutes_.

With the Field Commander currently taking his few minutes of _sanity time_ Ferro stepped up to the leader's role. "We have mission sheets for you all...everyone get something to eat, get your weapons cleaned up, get changed if you need to, we have another busy day ahead of us." There was little enthusiasm for her words, but the cyborgs, handlers and support staff went about their business all the same.

**_Under the White Sheet_**

Aboard _Bright Star_ Henrietta & Marisa had both changed into the requisite green examination gowns and awaited the arrival of the doctors. "I'm kinda hungry" ventured 'Etta, "I wish we could eat something while we wait."

"You know why we can't," Marisa muttered, leaning back on her table, "if they need to put us under sedation for surgery they don't want us to throw up. I hear even Triela does that sometimes." She was in a really bad mood and her cyborg-sister's idle chatter wasn't making things any easier.

"I don't see what harm a little yoghurt could do" the chestnut haired cyborg pouted. "It's not as if they can do anything to fix me up anyway...my missing fingers are too badly damaged to repair."

"Hey 'Etta, could we just be quiet for a little while? I'm getting a headache" lied Mari.

It didn't work. "Do you want me to go find a grown up?" Henrietta offered, with concern in her voice, "Mr. Pagani or one of the doctors?"

"No...I'm fine...I'd just like a little quiet, okay?"

Henrietta was not willing to grant her wish; "But Mr. Alboreto said you had two bad head impacts yesterday..."

"Mr. Pagani is gonna have you _reconditioned_ if you go wandering through his yacht with that hand of yours dripping artificial blood on his carpets," warned Mari, "so let's just sit here quietly until the doc's are ready for us."

Without anything else to say Henrietta was finally silent, which made Marisa reconsider her own request. In absence of 'Etta's chattering there was just more time to consider how badly she'd screwed up the whole operation. Mari knew there wasn't anything wrong with her...she'd been showing off because she was mad at everyone else for laughing at her injury, mad at the Agency for making her keep its real reason a secret, mad at Elio for going along with it all. Left to mull over these thoughts Marisa almost wished Henrietta would start talking again. She did not have to wait long.

"Hey Mari," ventured 'Etta timidly, "what do you think _that_ is?" She motioned toward a covered body to their left.

Marisa turned her head and replied "Just some guy I killed yesterday. Elio wanted to bring him back here instead of sinking him out at sea, I don't know why."

"Mari...he's short like us," whispered the series one cyborg, "he's just a kid! Did you kill a kid?"

"He's just short 'Etta," snapped Marisa, "it's not a big deal." She hated that she was under orders not to explain what had happened. Henrietta would not give up though. She hopped off her examining table and went to take a look. "Hey!" barked Marisa, "Leave that alone! You're gonna get us both in trouble!"

"I thought you had a headache" replied 'Etta. Mari jumped down and tried to stop her but the much stronger Generation One girl easily pushed her away and pulled the white sheet back to reveal a 12 year old boy with the front of his skull crushed in. "It _is_ a kid! Marisa you lied! What happened yesterday; why did you kill a child?"

Michele Pagani walked in just in time. "Henrietta put the sheet back right now" he ordered sternly. The young cyborg obeyed and scrambled back to her examining table. "What happened yesterday is currently _need-to-know_ information which Marisa is under orders not to discuss, am I understood?"

"Yes sir" she replied, her cheeks flushing pink. It was uncommon for Mr. Pagani to raise his voice, so Henrietta knew he was serious.

Fortunately, his angry tone did not last; "Good. We've ordered a brand new hand for you, it'll be arriving by helicopter in just a few hours. Until then you can go get some breakfast or some rest."

Henrietta forgot about the scolding quickly and smiled. "That's great! So I don't have to go back to Rome after all! I can stay and work with Giuse!"

"You sure can" Michele replied with a grin, "Dr. Bergonzi can bandage up what's left of your old hand and give you a painkiller if it's hurting you...he's out on the back deck." As 'Etta hopped down and went to meet him Pagani added "Please try not to drip blood on the carpets!"

Left alone Marisa turned to Kara's handler and said "Thank you; I hate having to lie to my friends, but I don't know what else I could have told her if you hadn't shown up. Sorry I was acting like such a brat before at the car garage."

"It's no trouble" Michele assured her, "I know it must be really difficult keeping a secret like that, but it won't be much longer before everyone knows. It was quite a victory."

That surprised Marisa; she was caught off guard that he knew about her fight with _Pinocchio Junior_ yesterday. "Who told you?" she asked.

He explained "All the handlers know by now...Jean & Elio will brief Chief Lorenzo when he gets into work this morning." Michele sat down on the rolling stool to look into Marisa's eyes. "You know, as a handler it would have absolutely terrified me to be cut off from my Kara while she fought a dangerous opponent like that. We're _all_ impressed, you'll get your fair share of credit soon enough."

"I still screwed up this morning" she muttered.

"That's just your bad leg" Michele assured her, "if Jean Croce doesn't blame you than nobody does. Don't worry too much about the mission...we all got out relatively undamaged and that's what's important. Let us adults be concerned about the Padan's that escaped or the information we lost...that's not you girls' job, okay?"

"But Mr. Pagani it wasn't my leg that failed, it was me!" argued Marisa, "Why won't anyone believe that I just _tripped_? I wasn't paying attention and I fell backward through the skylight!"

For a moment Michele was at a loss for words. "I understand that you just want to return to action and be with your handler, but let's just play it safe and let the doctors check you out. Believe me Mari, you've done your share, even if we wrap this up before you're back you don't have to prove anything else." Marisa said nothing else, but Pagani could tell she was still not satisfied. It just wasn't in any cyborg's nature to sit on the sidelines while her handler and sister-cyborg's were still in the fight.

**_Parking Garage_**

For the third day in a row the Mancini & Rissi fratelli were teamed up, but this time they had Elio riding along to help. A simple witness pickup had turned into a chase on foot through a public parking garage. "Agapita...get after them, we'll catch up!" Avise ordered. With a nod his cyborg complied, outdistancing the 3 Agency men easily.

Alessandro did not follow his lead. "We'll take the stairs Petra...cut them off on the top level!" Neither man seemed to acknowledge the plan of the other, drawing a curious stare from the neutral Alboreto. It was obvious that there was friction between the two fratelli, but now they were being downright competitive. Rather than interfere the older man decided to simply hang back & observe this one.

There were 4 bodyguards to contend with, and Agapita knew she had to be alert as she chased them up the concrete ramps of the garage. They were only armed with pistols, hardly enough to do her any serious harm, but after the events of the morning all cyborgs were under orders from the Field Commander to protect themselves and their handlers. No further injuries could be allowed, even at the expense of missing a target. The words of Jean Croce echoed in Agapita's mind, but not as strongly as the desire to beat her true rival today...Petrushka.

3 shots hit the concrete pillar next to her head, causing the cyborg to duck and shield her vulnerable eyes. When she popped back up there were no targets to be seen. Forcing herself to be calm Agapita slowed her own breathing, and focused on sound. She could hear the running footfalls of her handler, one full level below, the faint sound of Petra & Mr. Rissi sprinting up the staircase. Her mind compartmentalized those noises and set them aside. There was another, fainter layer of sounds beneath what was obvious. Pigeons roosting in the structure...the hum of elevator cables...and finally, breathing. She locked in on that sound and crept out of hiding as silently as she could. _Petrushka & her handler are on their way up to the roof...these 5 are all mine!_ Avise rounded the corner but stopped when Agapita signaled him with an upheld palm. The handler returned her signal, pointing at his temple, his order to _use your head_.

With great care Agapita advanced on a black BMW X5 that was parked in a corner, apart from the other cars. In spite of long early morning shadows and the harsh sunrise outside she could make out the target & his bodyguards hiding on the other side. It would be easy to shoot under the car but Agapita doubted she could hit all 5 of them before they could react. _Better to take them all at once. _Avise was almost there to help, he was carrying the handcuffs after all.

For the final 20 meter dash the girl slipped off her shoes, ensuring the total silence of her approach. Her handler nodded to signify his approval and she sprinted out of hiding. Agapita leveled her Tanfoglio at the targets, but snapped the pistol back when she realized she had snuck up upon a terrified family of civilians, who had been cowering behind their automobile since the 3 shots had been fired. With a sigh of annoyance Agapita considered her standing orders; _If anyone sees you working you must kill them_. That seemed like a waste of bullets to the cyborg, but luckily Avise reached her position in time to make the decision for her. "You people stay down...it'll be over soon!" Mancini ordered. He got no objection from the huddled civilians.

"They gave us the slip" muttered his cyborg.

"Hopefully Alessandro & Petrushka caught them on the roof" growled Avise. He was still at least _pretending_ not to compete with his partner fratello, but the ex-Bersagliere's words lacked conviction. He too was desperate to come out on top.

Agapita's head snapped to the left. "Sir, I hear something new!"

"Fan out" her handler ordered. They each ran for cover on opposite sides of the parking level and ducked down between cars, careful to conceal their legs behind tires. "Capture the mark...kill the bodyguards" he reminded his trainee in a harsh whisper. She responded with a nod.

Two figures dashed across their field of vision, but the harsh morning sunlight again caused problems, making it impossible to tell if one of them was the primary target. "Do we fire?" whispered Agapita.

Mancini carefully un-cocked the hammer of his Webley revolver and answered "Hold your fire. This can't be right." He stood up and yelled "Rissi is that you?"

"Shit!" replied Alessandro, as he and Petrushka came out of hiding, "Did you lose them?"

"Did _we_ lose them?" snapped Avise, "What about you? I thought you were going to cut off their escape route!"

"Quit waving that old revolver around before it goes off!" the younger man growled, knowing it would push Avise's buttons. "You wanna call Jean and tell him about this or should I?"

To the right a bell *_dinged*_ and all 4 of the Section 2 team whipped around with their pistols. It was only Elio, dragging the conscious but dazed target by the scruff of his collar. "Did all of you _forget_ this garage has an elevator?"

"Thank God" sighed Agapita. She was actually more relived that Mr. Alboreto had caught the mark rather than Petrushka and Mr. Rissi.

Elio shook his head. "Don't get too pleased. Two of the bodyguards got away, and I had to stab this guy in the leg. The other two guards are stuffed in a maintenance closet, so we'll need a couple of garbage bags to get them out of here."

"Garbage bags?" asked Petra, wrinkling her nose. Both she & Agapita had an idea of what he meant, but _really_ hoped they were wrong.

Unfortunately they were _not_ wrong. "Yes, garbage bags...heaviest & strongest you can find. We're going to have to do some dirty work and we can't use the cheap bags, a loose bone could tear straight through." He held out a €20 bill which Petrushka grabbed before her partner/rival could reach for it. "Get a box of at least a dozen."

"12 bags?" asked Agapita, "There's only two dead bodyguards!"

Alboreto gave her a scowl and muttered "Have you ever cut up a body before? You're going to be _amazed_ at how messy this gets."

The way Elio described it the task did not seem appealing to anyone. "Well, can't we just call a Public Safety cleaner crew?" Petra suggested.

"And let them know how we've duffed this up?" the gray haired man scoffed, "No thank you...I'd prefer to keep this a _Section Two only_ matter. Wouldn't you gentlemen concur?" Both Avise & Alessandro were surprised, but they did not disagree so both cyborgs were sent trudging off to the nearest store.

Once the girls were gone (with instructions to meet the handlers in the first floor maintenance closet) the 3 men were left alone to discuss a near-failure. "We looked like a bunch of amateurs back there" muttered Alessandro.

"Competing with each other instead of co-operating," Mancini added, "Elio we were lucky you were here."

"Well, yes...we all looked like a pack of monkey's trying to fuck a football back there. Honestly the only reason I was waiting in the elevator was that I couldn't find the stairs...happy accident, eh?" Alboreto muttered. "Don't take it to heart, I screwed up yesterday and got my cyborg knocked out of action. She'd never have taken that leg injury if I'd remembered to safely clear that sailboat like I should have." Still dragging the groaning witness Alboreto walked over and sat down on a concrete barrier. "We're all bloody exhausted and we're making stupid mistakes."

Rissi lit a cigarette, thought for a second and offered one to Avise, who accepted. "How much longer can this go on? Between us we must have done more than 30 missions in 3 days."

"More than that" Mancini groaned, stretching out and yawning.

Alboreto reached down to check if his now unconscious prisoner was still breathing. Satisfied that the target hadn't died on him yet the older man said "It's nothing we can't handle...even if this lasts another week. I think we all need to keep a close eye on the cyborgs though. This pace of operations, with no real down-time is uncharted territory for the Agency. Mine is already busted...Giuseppe's got taken out of action by a simple mistake."

"Elio," asked Avise "if the time comes do you think Jean Croce will know when to quit?"

Rissi nodded in agreement. "It's really not in his nature."

"Well, we're _his_ team," replied Alboreto "however long he wants to push it's our job to support him. Ferro & I talked a bit about it last night, but both of us agree it isn't our place to force Jean into a decision."

Both men ostensibly agreed with their colleague, but with a tinge of disappointment that was hard to hide. They had each hoped the older & more experienced Alboreto was planning on stepping in at some point and advising Jean that _enough was enough_. If he did plan to do such a thing he was not sharing the information, so both Rissi & Mancini knew it might be a long grind.

"Who are you calling?" Alessandro asked, as Avise began dialing his mobile phone.

"Agapita" replied the ex-soldier, "I'm going to tell her to stop at a take-away cafe on the way back. I think we all need a coffee."

**_Giuse & Rico_**

Since the other two "young" cyborgs were out of commission Rico was getting a lot more action. With her own master Jean busy back at headquarters she was teamed with his brother. It was a little disappointing to be away from her handler, but Mr. Giuseppe was always nice and with him there was always a very good chance of going out for _gelato_ after the mission. On the down-side, there would be Henrietta, and her infamous jealousy to deal with. Just spending a morning with _her_ handler was enough to incite the brunette cyborg's rage for a whole week. Rico knew she would have to act carefully.

"So how are you feeling today Rico?" asked Giuse as the two sat in traffic in the Fiat loaner car Allison had used the day before. "You got a lot of solid kills at the warehouse battle this morning."

"A little sleepy but I'm okay sir" she chirped, "I hope Henrietta is going to be okay."

"She telephoned me from Pagani's yacht before we left" Croce chuckled, "Dr. Bergonzi had to help her dial but otherwise she's doing just fine. Doc Giliani is sending a new hand for her by helicopter."

"That's good news" sighed Rico. "Maybe we should bring her some gelato after we're done today."

Giuse raised one eyebrow and teased "Is that a hint?" Rico flushed pink with embarrassment.

Once at the job site Giuse briefed his temporary partner on their mission; "Benito Carrio trained in an Army E.O.D. unit but he got thrown out for alcoholism. Since then he's been a small time bomb builder, but lately he's been doing work for the _Cosa Nostra_. We're going to take him right at his own apartment."

"How do we know he's there right now?" Rico asked.

"Educated guess;" answered Giuse, "Signor Carrio may not be in the Army anymore, but he hasn't stopped drinking. Most likely he's passed out in bed at this hour. This'll be an easy pick-up."

Despite Giuseppe's assurances that this would be a simple mission Rico insisted on leading the way as the pair climbed the staircase of Benito Carrio's apartment building. She carefully checked around every corner but just like Giuse said she met no danger. "Take it easy Rico" warned the man, remembering how Henrietta sometimes over-reacted when she felt responsible for protecting him, "I don't want you to make a move unless I give you the signal. Put your pistol away, please." The girl did not argue but tucked her CZ-75 into her coat with some reluctance.

"_Appartamento_ 6-C, here it is sir" she pointed out. Giuse checked the door-knob and found it locked as he expected. "Let me" offered Rico. She took off her coat, pressed it to the door to muffle the sound and punched a hole straight through. Carefully the cyborg reached through and felt around until she was sure that no booby trap, and slowly unlocked the knob.

It was an ordinary looking flat, with no visible signs that a bomb maker lived there, but Giuse & Rico moved cautiously. The garbage can was overflowing with beer cans, there were half-eaten boxes of take-out food all over the apartment. Ignoring these distractions Rico located the bedroom. It was dark but the door was not shut. The young cyborg desperately wanted to draw her pistol, but she was taking Mr. Giuse's directions literally, so she only held her hand on the grip while it sat in her under-arm holster.

Croce walked past her to the bed where a motionless figure lay. He could not even detect breathing, so he carefully drew back the covers. "Damn it!" muttered the handler. Where he expected to find the suspect there was only a pile of pillows, stacked cleverly to look like a sleeping body. "Looks like it's a bust...stand down Rico." He pulled out his telephone to report in, but Rico remained attentive. There was something odd about the rug next to the bed, on an otherwise bare floor.

"Mr. Giuseppe, don't move!" exclaimed the girl. She dropped down to her knees and examined the rug he was standing on. "Sir...it's a pressure sensitive pad, don't step off of it!" She scrambled around on her hands and knees, quickly locating a pair of wires that ran under the bed.

"Careful Rico..." Giuseppe told her, half warning, half pleading. Rico nodded and traced out the wires.

Between the frame slats of the box spring she found plastic bags filled with an amber jelly which smelled of gasoline. It didn't take a member of the bomb squad to know what this was; "It's a fire-bomb sir...with a timer."

Trying to remain calm Giuse asked "How much time do we have?"

Rico watched the numbers count down 9...8...7... and decided it would be a bad idea to tell him. "Mister Giuseppe, it's going to be alright."

"Huh?"

Rico grabbed the blankets off Carrio's bed and rushed Giuseppe, snatching him off the ground. Just as the bomb exploded they crashed through the bedroom window together. Flames caught them quickly, but Rico had wisely chosen a wool blanket which gave them some protection. Once the two had cleared the window the cyborg had to consider her next step. There was no fire escape to grab onto, and they were falling toward the sidewalk fast. Before Giuseppe could even comprehend what was going on his protector was accessing dozens of possibilities. Endowed with a technically enhanced mind and the senses to go along with it Rico experienced the fall in a kind of slow motion, giving her the time to chose, plan and execute.

The cyborg caught a sturdy stone flower-box with her left hand and held onto Giuse with her right. The two swung on the fulcrum of her arm, smashing through another window and tumbling into the living room of an apartment on the 2nd floor. They slid to a halt, bunching up the carpets under them, but aside from a mild case of rug-burn each, they were safe.

"Whoa..." muttered a young woman sitting on the couch, "..._that_ was trippy." Her boyfriend just stared, slack jawed with amazement. Rico sprang to her feet but did not determine that they were a threat so she kept her CZ hidden.

Dusting himself off Giuseppe considered with awe the gravity of what had happened. He wanted to congratulate Rico, to shower her with praise and thank him for saving his life but this was not the time or place. Casually the agent drew out his bribery roll and peeled off €200. "Sorry about the window." He added another €200 and instructed "You didn't see either of us." As he & Rico headed for the door he pointed at the still smoking water-bong on the table. "You'd better hide that," he warned "an apartment above you just exploded and the police are sure to be here soon."

"Thanks man..." was all the young man could say.

Rico smiled and replied "You're welcome!"

**_The Mobile Phone Incident_**

"This isn't going to work" muttered Kara, looking over the specialized cell-phone gun that Public Safety had provided.

Jean Croce rolled his eyes. "Alright Kara, humor me, why is this plan not going to work?"

"Well, for one think this fake phone looks positively _ancient_! I wouldn't be caught dead carrying something like this!"

The Field Commander was reaching the limits of his patience, but he needed an older cyborg for this assassination. "_How the hell does Pagani put up with her crap?_" he wondered. "Kara, I don't want to hear another word. This should be simple. Alfredo di Rossini is trying to escape Palermo...he'll be boarding a direct charter flight to Milan in a few hours, leaving out of Punta Raisi Airport. He's never going to make it to that airplane."

"That's not the problem; it's this fake phone...the moment anyone gets a look at it they'll..."

Jean cut Kara off angrily. "I told you, _not another word_! I don't care if you consider the phone fashionable, it's a tool to kill someone with, nothing more. Now, _Primary Command; __Silent_!"

The cyborg attempted to launch her protest but to her amazement she was unable. The words seemed stuck in her throat, and when she considered writing down the _reason_ why an ancient looking cell-phone would lead to mission disaster she felt nauseous. The experience left Kara with a miserably violated feeling, a reminder of her artificial nature and the control the Agency held over a mechanical body she was only borrowing. Never even once had Michele used one of these Primary Commands on her. He did not always accept her ideas, but at least he always listened. The contempt Kara felt for Jean at that very moment made her sick with anger, which did not sit well with the nausea her conditioning was already causing.

Indignant, Kara sat down at the round dining table where Claes lent her a sympathetic sigh. "Don't take it too personally" the girl in glasses whispered, giving Kara's hand a squeeze, "Jean is hard to deal with on a good day...and now he's just really tired and irritable."

"Well fine," the older girl growled, "if he doesn't want to listen I don't need to tell him. It's his responsibility to plan this stuff out anyway...not my problem if the job fails." Apparently Jean's Primary Command only prevented her from talking around him, she had no trouble conversing with Claes, in fact it was making her stomach feel better.

"You don't really mean that" Claes chided, "I know you too well." Kara snorted and said nothing.

* * *

While the influence of Jean's command had worn off by the time they got into the Ford Mondeo for the drive to the airport Kara remained absolutely silent, stewing in her anger. Off to their right rose Monte Pelligrino, the site of she & Michele's triumphant sniper mission the day before. Jean had not even complimented her on a job well done, and had probably forgotten all about it by now.

Palermo's main airport was less that 15 kilometers North-West of the city so the drive did not take long. Croce parked in a restricted lot and flashed his Agency documents to by-pass security easily. There was no argument, no challenge to his credentials, no time wasted. They passed through the back hallways of the airport through places where no civilian had access, but work went on all around them as if nobody saw a thing.

Locked in her self-imposed silence Kara was left with time to consider Field Commander Croce. He had obviously called ahead, arranged everything with the Airport Security Supervisor, left no loose ends. When he had time to do these things Kara had no idea...Jean had been working all morning since the botched chop-shop raid. Despite the anger she was feeling over being rudely silenced back at headquarters Kara had to admit a grudging respect for her ruthlessly efficient Commander. Surely there had been plenty of times she & Michele's missions must have gone smoother simply because of Jean Croce's single minded devotion & dogged tenacity...a call made...a string pulled...palms greased, all to make the job of a fratello in the field just a little easier. The only time he ever had a break was when Chief Lorenzo _ordered_ him to take time off. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week every fratello knew they could call the Field Commander for support if the mission was not going well; some even delighted in the knowledge that they were waking him up in the middle of the night. A pang of guilt stabbed at Kara's human heart; nobody ever thought to thank Jean for the job he did. _How __do__ you go about thanking a man like him anyway_? she thought, _Maybe it would be better if I discussed this with Michele before I even try_. She gave Croce a glance while walking a step behind him. _It would be easier if he wasn't such an asshole all the time_.

The pair slipped through the back room of a bar that was not yet open, and entered the gate area. "That's di Rossini," Jean pointed out, "remember his face. I want you to get close...yammer on your cell phone like a normal teenager...be annoying but not aggressive. Hopefully the 2 bodyguards won't consider you a threat." He handed Kara the ancient looking cell-phone gun. "This key disengages the safety...then hit keys 1-2-3 & 4 to fire all four .22 caliber rounds. Repeat that back to me."

Kara wished he would stop treating her like Rico, but she answered "Pound key disengages the safety, keys one through four fire all four rounds, they're only .22 caliber so I'll have to get close."

Jean nodded. "Good...when you're done make a dash for it, I'll confirm di Rossini is dead. Meet me back at the car, do you remember the way?"

"Yes sir" muttered the cyborg.

"Then go ahead" Croce ordered, "and maintain radio silence unless necessary."

Fortunately the bodyguards had chased all other airport patrons from the seats surrounding Alfredo de Rossini. Nobody seemed too upset or surprised by it...Sicily had more that its share of small-time tough guys who warranted special consideration in their own minds. Acting _annoying but not aggressive_ as Jean had ordered, Kara bounded up and occupied the seat directly behind one of the bodyguards, sitting back-to-back with him. By the time the bald headed man got up to chase her off Kara was already talking loudly on her fake telephone...ignoring his entreaties to move along.

Faking a conversation was awkward, so Kara imagined herself talking to her room-mate Ilaria. "Yeah, I'm still in Palermo...we should be coming back in a few days...ugh, I hate it when she does that...she wore the _exact_ same thing you did?...no, it isn't as hard as it looks...yeah I'm taking plenty of pictures...damn, I didn't get that homework done either..." It was a bit embarrassing but it was working; the guards seemed frustrated by her presence but did nothing, she was off their _threat radar_.

"Boarding call for_ Aerea Milano_ flight 8726 direct service to Milan-Linate" announced a uniformed woman at the counter. Kara gave Jean a glance, and he nodded. While Rossini & his guards went about collecting their carry-on bags the cyborg stood up and prepared for her kill. She felt the safety button with her thumb and with the target's back to her reached out...

"Get down!" yelled the bodyguard to the left. He grabbed Kara's wrist and yanked the phone-gun to him. "Nobody's used a phone like this in 10 years...it won't even work on a modern network! What the hell are you up to?"

"Is it a recording device?" growled the mark, "Smash that fucking thing, who knows what she got!"

Left with no other option Kara straightened her wrist, easily overpowering the surprised bodyguard's grip. She intended to fire only the first round into his face, but the camouflaged weapon did not work _as advertised_ and discharged all 4 rounds at one button push. With civilian passengers all around screaming the bodyguard fell dead. Alfredo di Rossini & his remaining guard fled into the panicked throng of people, making it impossible for Kara to grab him.

Jean picked up the target first and rushed after them. "Kara, double around and cut them off at the elevators!" he ordered over the radio.

"Yes sir!" The cyborg placed a hand on her usual side-arm, but kept it hidden in her purse so she could blend in with the mob of screaming passengers. She looked up to the next level where security forces were already rushing to the scene of a reported shooting. _What a mess_, she thought, almost crashing into a group of elderly German tourists.

Croce caught the mark near the elevators as he intended, and traded blows with the much larger bodyguard. Despite being at a visible size disadvantage Jean held his own, depending on open palm strikes and forearm blocks to contend with a man who stood a whole head taller. Still, Jean could only hope to delay, not defeat the bodyguard. As Kara struggled through the crowd she felt a flood of synthetic adrenaline surge through her body. The Field Commander was engaged in a fight & conditioning _compelled_ her to protect him. At the same time she noticed that Croce had not drawn his pistol, so she took her hand off her own. If Jean did not wish to risk more gunfire she would follow his lead.

Kara's cyborg body crashed into the bodyguard, breaking his hip as they fell. The two landed on Jean, who tumbled to the ground as well. She scrambled over to him frantically to see if he was okay, but Croce snapped "The _target_, Kara! Ignore the damned bodyguard...get the fucking target!"

She whipped around in time to see di Rossini escaping, rushing through a fire door and setting off more alarms. It took a gymnastic leap to avoid two airport security police before they grabbed her, but Kara got clear and sprinted after her target, leaving Jean Croce to be taken into custody. Security had not forgotten Kara...they were just meters behind her as well.

It did not take Kara long to catch up with di Rossini, who after losing his two bodyguards was in a state of total illogical panic. The man ducked behind a catering truck, which Kara cleared in a single leap, coming down right on top of him. Once di Rossini was safely in her grasp the cyborg keyed her radio; "Mr. Croce, I have the target, do you copy, sir?"

"Kara; _kill_!" barked Jean in response, and before she could even think her body reacted, snapping Alfredo's neck violently. An instant later she felt 4 strong sets of hands grab her and toss her to the concrete. She began to fight back against the officers but a familiar voice stopped her.

"Easy kid...just go along with the act!" whispered a man she recognized as "Nero" the Public Safety agent who had supplied her with a Hecate sniper rifle the day before. Realizing that PS & Jean had the situation under control Kara allowed herself to be cuffed and loaded into a Carabinieri sedan.

At the airport security office she was re-united with Jean, and both had their handcuffs removed. Seated in blue plastic chairs under a squeaking ceiling fan the two waited for Nero & his team to go fetch their car. "You even planned for _this_?" Kara asked in amazement.

"It's my job to plan for everything" he muttered, annoyance evident in his voice. Picking up on her Commander's mood the cyborg did not intend to say anything else, but Croce continued "You were trying to tell me something back at Field Headquarters...you knew that old telephone would give us away. Seems I should have listened." Jean never actually apologized, he just lit a cigarette and puffed away at it right under the _No Smoking_ sign.

* * *

Out in the harbor a government helicopter made a low pass over _Bright Star_, hovering long enough to drop a heavily padded package...one Henrietta had been eagerly waiting for. The first mate caught the parcel and carefully handed it over to Dr. Donato, who ripped away its outer wrappings while the young cyborg looked over his shoulder with great anticipation. "Looks good...Giliani's got it prepped for immediate installation. Are you ready for a new hand, Henrietta?"

"Yes sir!" chirped the little brunette.

Donato gave Michele a nod and asked "Do you mind assisting during surgery? You helped us out quite a bit with that sort of thing during the Angelica project."

That brought back bittersweet memories for Pagani...originally recruited to SWA Special Operations for his engineering skills Michele had like so many others fallen helplessly in love with the innocent charm and thousand watt smile of the Agency's first cyborg. Along with pulling the Section together into a coherent fighting force Angelica had played a major part in Pagani's eventual decision to join Section 2 and take on a cyborg of his own. The heartbreak of her slow decline and eventual death was still a difficult topic for him to discuss, but he resolved to always remember Angelica at her best. "I'd be happy to assist," Michele replied, "but what about Doctor Bergonzi?"

"He'll be running tests on Mari's leg" answered Donato. He leaned in and with a chuckle whispered "A _direct request_ from Jean Croce. I'm guessing he doesn't have much confidence in me since I gave Marisa a clean bill of health yesterday."

"You're the better choice to be doing 'Etta's hand surgery anyway" Pagani assured him.

**_Good News, Bad News_**

Both Croce brothers arrived back at Field Headquarters around the same time, neither looking very pleased. "How did it go?" Giuseppe asked his elder sibling.

Jean muttered "Not as well as it should have. Kara took down the mark but it got messy...my fault, she was trying to inform me of a problem and I wasn't listening. We made a huge mess of a public scene at the airport. I stuck Public Safety with the clean-up job."

"Hmm, at least you got your target, we missed that bomb-maker" Giuse admitted, "Rico saved my life though, you should praise her for it."

"Didn't you already?" the Field Commander asked, going to the window for a cigarette.

"Effusively" Giuse answered, "and I intend to reward her for it the minute we get some down time. None of that means as much to her as a simple word of thanks from your lips though. You know that."

The elder Croce took a long drag from his smoke and replied "Fine, I'll get to it as soon as I can."

"What's wrong with right now?" growled the younger brother, motioning toward Rico, who was telling Claes & Olga all about her adventure with Mr. Giuse & the firebomb.

"I said I'll get to it!" Jean snapped. Before the two irritable brothers could slide deeper into a fight Priscilla stepped in with information.

"Eh, Giuse, I have some good news and some bad news," she ventured "you look like you could use some good news first...Henrietta has a new hand and she's ready for action. Michele is bringing her ashore right now."

"And the bad news?" growled Jean, sure it had something to do with his other damaged cyborg.

It did not involve Marisa at all; "That bomb-maker who nearly incinerated you & Rico this morning, Benito Carrio...Palermo police picked him up two nights ago for driving drunk. We just found out; you never even had to go over to that apartment...sorry."

"Oh" muttered Giuseppe, rolling his eyes, "well it's nice of them to tell us in a _timely_ fashion." He got up and picked up a set of keys from the table. "I'm going down to the docks to pick up Pagani & 'Etta...I'm taking the Fiat."

**_Bad News_**

There seemed to be no end to the tests Doctor Bergonzi seemed compelled to subject Marisa to...at least it felt that way to her. Henrietta had already been in and out of surgery in the time it took the Doctor to poke and prod at Mari. On the bright side, if it took Dr. Bergonzi so long to find something wrong he might at last accept that there was in fact _nothing_ wrong with her. At least that was what Marisa was hoping for.

While the red-headed cyborg waited for the doctor to review the results of yet another scan she watched through a port-hole window as Henrietta and Mr. Pagani departed in the motor-launch. She sighed and sat back down on the chilly examining table, her pale green paper gown crinkling as she swung her legs back and forth. At last the Doctor walked in, but wearing a somber look on his face that made Marisa nervous. "I'm finished reviewing your test data, Mari" he sighed.

"Well I already know you didn't find anything," she replied, trying to force confidence into her voice as if it could influence the words that were already written on his papers, "because I know there isn't a thing wrong with my leg."

Bergonzi nodded and admitted "You're right. Dr. Donato did an excellent job on your leg yesterday, there's nothing wrong with it."

A weight lifted off her shoulders Marisa gave him a broad smile. "So I can return to duty? Maybe we can call Mr. Pagani back...he & 'Etta _just_ left in the launch!"

"Marisa, wait..." said the Doctor, putting up his hand "...I said your _leg_ was fine, but I can't clear you for duty. You took _two_ significant blows to the head yesterday and they caused some problems that Dr. Donato wasn't even looking for. Your balance sensors are located in your inner ear; a combination of your natural human parts and an interface system that sends signals to your artificial parts. I'm afraid the connections between the biological & mechanical are failing functional checks, indicating damage."

"S-so how long will that t-take to f-f-fix?" stammered the girl, "W-will I be able to go back t-today?"

"No Marisa, you're going to need surgery that we just can't do in the field" Bergonzi told her, "it has to be done at the SWA hospital back home."

Marisa immediately felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. "Doctor, no! Please check again...I feel fine...you can't send me home in the middle of an operation!"

"That will be Jean Croce's call of course, but from what Michele Pagani told me the mission will be ending soon anyway."

"Then don't tell anyone, please!" Mari pleaded "I'll get it fixed as soon as we get home!"

Dr. Bergonzi furrowed his brow disapprovingly; this called for a stern & unambiguous response. "Marisa you know perfectly well how inappropriate it is for you to even ask me that!" he growled, "I'm going to forget you said anything, but if you try anything like that again I'm telling your handler and you will answer to _him_." That had the desired impact on the cyborg, who quickly felt sick to her stomach as she contemplated the act of deceiving Elio. Disappointment & shame mixed with nausea as Marisa slowly accepted that her part in the operation was over. Bergonzi saw this in her face and softened his tone accordingly; "I've very sorry Marisa. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, but after what's already happened this morning we can't accept the risk of putting you back in combat. I know you want to go help your friends and protect your handler, but we need to protect you as well."

"I'm sorry I asked you to lie for me Doctor" Mari sighed. She was already reviewing the early morning battle at the chop-shop, taking into account the new information about her balance sensors. It was entirely possible that Dr. Bergonzi was right...when she had tripped her balance was off, causing her to fall and ruining the mission. Rather than lifting the weight of blame off her shoulders this made her feel worse. The body that defined her and granted her the power she was so proud of had _failed_ in battle. She was _defective_.

"Don't take it so hard" the sympathetic Doctor told her, "you fought hard on plenty of successful missions and took your blows without a single complaint. It's just a shame that us doctors can't build a body as tough as you are."

Mari knew Dr. Bergonzi was trying, but she didn't feel like being cheered up right now. "I think I'll go to the guest cabin and lay down if that's alright."

"In my medical opinion that's _exactly_ what you should do" he told her. "Relax, take a nap, things will look better once you've had some rest."

While she was getting dressed Dr. Donato came in and apologized for not catching the problem on his initial examination the day before. Although Mari accepted his words with good grace they were of little comfort to her. She went to the guest cabin, kicked off her sneakers and laid down on the bed, deep in thought.

That was when it happened; Marisa's breathing became ragged...her head began to hurt and she began to slip into an anxiety attack. "_No...no...not now!_" she pleaded with herself, but it was too late, the disorder in Mari's mind had taken over. Elio was not close; there were no adults around to help, and in her already weakened state of mind she did not have the strength to fight back and take control.

"_I need water_" her mind screamed out, and even in the depths of a _Marisa Moment_ she recognized the irony that she was floating on a deep blue sea that she could not reach. Rolling over onto her violently shaking hands and knees she fell off the bed and tried to crawl to the bathroom. It was then that paranoia struck, and she was filled with the terror that her youthful adversary from yesterday was there with her, in the room. Frantically Marisa looked all around her, but her eyes were playing tricks. Through wild color flashes & blurry psychedelic vision she saw his lifeless body under a white sheet, sitting up to stare at her with dead eyes. _I can't fight him like this...I'm going to die_..._NO!...It's just a hallucination...get back in control!_ Unable to get a complete lung-full of fresh air Mari began to black out from lack of oxygen. _I've got to do this __now__!_ She gathered up every bit of energy she had and focused on the mantra Chief Lorenzo had taught her, repeating the name of her beloved old _Mama Galati_. Marisa grabbed the deep breath she desperately needed and got to her feet. She burst through the open doorway and sprinted straight through the Sunseeker yacht, leaping as soon she reached the back deck.

Mari crashed into the cool water where the noise & chaos were instantly replaced by the calming calming rush of bubbles heading back to the surface. The taste of salt, the limitless blue under & all around her; she was safe in her element where no specter of a dead opponent could harm or defeat her. The red headed cyborg arched her back and allowed her body to slowly rise to the surface, watching the sunlight dance off the waves above.

When at last she broke the surface to take a calm, controlled breath she saw both doctors and the vessel's engineer frantically looking over the side, yelling for her. With one strong kick she propelled herself back to _Bright Star_ and grabbed onto the stern.

"_What the hell happened? Are you alright?_" the men demanded, but Marisa calmly explained "I just needed to get my head straight." Before they could reach down and pull her out Mari rolled over on her back and dove again. Confused and uneasy the three men looked on as she swam for another ten minutes, only returning to deck when _she_ was ready.

**_Ambush_**

With the van and the other three loaner cars being used Brian & Allison had the keys to Michele's Gallardo for the day. On any other morning such a treat would have propelled the _Petrol-head Princess_ of Section Two into a nearly uncontrollable frenzy, but this morning the excitable cyborg could only focus on how difficult the car was to sleep in. As a consequence of their 3am wake-up the fratello were taking turns napping in a parking lot as they awaited orders from Public Safety concerning the next target, and getting a few precious minutes of shut-eye was proving difficult.

"Next time," grumbled Allison, turning sideways in the driver's seat in a futile effort to keep the sun out of her eyes, "I'm gonna get Kara to talk Michele into bringing his Rolls Royce...or _anything_ with a big back seat!"

"You weren't complaining about this car when you & Kara disappeared with it for 2 hours on the first night of the mission" McDonnell teased.

Allison did not open her eyes but replied "That first night...that was the last time any of us got a full night of sleep, wasn't it?"

The tired cyborg was not destined to get any more rest this morning. Brian's mobile phone rang; it was the call from PS that they had been waiting for. "This is McDonnell...right...Via Ur 3, yeah we can get there in a few minutes." He snapped his mobile phone shut and asked "Did you hear all that? We're taking out a smuggler at the shipping yard on Via Ur 3."

"Where are we gonna put the body?" yawned Allison, stretching out and putting her sunglasses on. "This is a two-seater."

"Our friends at Public Safety will send a cleaner van when we're done" McDonnell replied, "let's get going, PS says he's only there to pick up a shipment and he'll be gone."

Allison fired up the Gallardo and drove it quickly through the tight city streets until they reached the huge shipping yard. She paused before entering the main gate. Her handler knew what was wrong; "Lot of big lorries in there" he said calmly.

"Yeah" she muttered, nodding her head but never taking her eyes off the rows of tractor-trailers waiting to be loaded & unloaded.

Brian offered "You want me to drive?"

"I'll be okay...we've been working on this haven't we? I'll be okay." Trepidation was evident in her voice, it seemed that she was trying to convince herself she would _be okay_ more than Brian, but the cyborg faced her phobia bravely.

"Then go ahead when you're ready" McDonnell told her. Trucks were his cyborg's weakness...a lingering shadow of fear from her former life that hung over their fratello. Although Allison did not know it she had good reason to dislike lorries; one (piloted by a drunk driver) had been the cause of her "death" as Shelby Mercer, as well as the passing of her parents. Shelby had been conscious during the entire traumatic incident, so it was a blessing that specific memories were wiped away by conditioning. Vague traumatic fears were harder to suppress, and despite the best efforts of Dr. Belisario & his team no solution had yet been found to address these cyborg phobias.

Allison depressed the throttle and rolled the dark red Gallardo forward through the main gate. "Keep your eye out for a medium height bald man with a limp. PS says he's got a green shirt on." Brian explained, "You're doing great." The cyborg smiled at his compliment. Allison, Brian & Dr. Bianchi had invested dozens of hours in training exercises designed to help her deal with her lorry phobia, even consulting Marisa's handler Mr. Alboreto, who was for better or worse considered Section Two's resident expert on cyborg anxiety issues. As she passed within feet of a huge idling IVECO diesel they both felt it was time well spent.

"There's our dumbass" growled McDonnell, pointing out a man who fit the description. He drew his Kimber automatic slowly, but there was an ear splitting blast as the driver's side window exploded in a shower of safety-glass fragments.

Waving away smoke Allison coughed "Oh my god, are you okay? Did your weapon go off?"

"No..." muttered Brian, noticing a 2 centimeter hole in the roof panel, "...it's a goddamn sniper, drive!"

Allison blasted away just as 2 more shots hit the pavement where she had been. The green shirted bald man whom they thought was their target whipped out a micro-Uzi and opened fire, which Allison just managed to avoid. "It was a trap!" McDonnell growled, "Keep moving, Allie!" Heavy caliber sniper rounds continued to hit the pavement, but Allison was quick enough to avoid another hit. "We have to get out of here!" ordered her handler.

The driving-conditioned cyborg did not need to be told twice. She took a wide arc and doubled back toward the main gate, but two Mitsubishi straight-job trucks had blocked their escape. "Not good..." she muttered, braking & downshifting in time to avoid a shower of gunfire from the two truck drivers. "...damn it...as if I needed _another_ reason to hate lorries!"

"Stay focused" Brian warned, "I can't tell where the sniper is, all these bullets seem to be coming from different trajectories."

"Multiple snipers?" Allison suggested, spiking the brakes and sliding through an empty slot between parked trailers.

McDonnell shook his head; "No, we'd be getting _rained on_ if there was more than one. 10 o'clock, lookout!" The man in the green shirt rushed out on their left with his Uzi, but before he could get off a shot Allison steered hard right and floored the throttle. She slid the left-rear quarter of the car right into him and was rewarded with a satisfying thud. "_You're_ explaining that dent to Pagani" Brian joked.

The Gallardo sped around the shipping depot at insane speeds, avoiding every bullet intended for it, but the fratello inside knew their luck couldn't hold out. "There," McDonnell pointed out, "back gate...go for it!"

"Brian there's a truck there!"

"It's a tractor trailer, we can pass underneath!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Allison shrieked, "What if there's a speed bump?" Before Brian could order her to go for it a bullet hit the nose of the Lamborghini. "Okay," Allison finally agreed, "I'm going for it!"

With her foot flat to the floor Allison rushed across open pavement, pushing the Gallardo over 160kph. At the last possible instant she hit the brakes hard, slowing just enough to pass over the uneven pavement to concrete transition by the gate and slipping under the trailer with just centimeters to spare. They shot out into busy traffic but Allison let go of the brakes and turned left, joining the flow before they were hit. "We're out!" she exclaimed.

"Take that side street" Brian ordered, "be ready...if they chase us we turn and fight." Allison complied, and turned down a side street to her right, but directly next to them the windshield of a parked car exploded.

"The sniper again?" Allison shouted angrily, "Where the hell is he?"

"In a helicopter" replied her handler, "it's the only explanation!" The tiny side windows of the Lamborghini did not allow him to look up and confirm his theory.

"Awww damn it, that's not fair!" the cyborg complained, pounding on the steering wheel "We can't get away from a chopper in the middle of a city!"

"Just keep moving, _fast_!" snapped Brian, "Get us deeper into the tight side streets, it'll limit the sniper's firing vectors!"

She did as he ordered, but muttered "It'll be harder to keep up speed..." A few more bullet impacts on the pavement & cars around them impelled her to push faster. Room ran out quickly, and the fratello was faced with a dead end on the _Via Agordat_. "Hang on!" she exclaimed, steering hard left into a wooded area. The all-wheel drive & tires on the Gallardo had not been designed for off-road use but Allison managed to avoid hitting any trees, eventually reaching a dirt road. Here traction was a little better, although she shuddered to think of what this harsh use was doing to the low-slung undercarriage. Two more sniper shots from the chopper above made Allison forget all about the undercarriage and drive as fast as the available grip allowed.

"We need to find cover," growled Brian, "maybe from those trees we can fight back."

"The instant we stop we're sitting ducks!" Allison argued, "We need more speed!" As the dirt road took a 90 degree bend she saw what she needed, and went straight instead of turning.

Roughly bounced in his seat Brian shouted "Goddamn it Allison, what do you think you're doing?" The Lamborghini bounced over a mound of dirt and through a patch of small hedges, destroying the front air diffuser and breaking one headlight cover but once they were clear Brian spotted where his cyborg was headed. _Aeroporto di Palermo-Boccadifalco_ with a 1,200 meter paved runway was straight ahead. Allison flogged the car over the last 90 meters of rough dirt & grass, sliding and yawing as the tires fought for grip, but the instant the 4 massive Pirelli's caught traction on solid asphalt the Gallardo rocketed forward with enough force to press Brian into his seat. 200kph came almost instantly...220...240...265 kilometers per hour and they began to outdistance the helicopter tormenting them.

"Ferro, this is McDonnell," Brian shouted into his phone, nearly drowned out by the howling V-10 behind him, "The mission was a set-up...Allison and I are under attack! There's a sniper pounding on us from a helicopter and we can't return fire!"

"Give me your position, I'll get backup headed your way" replied the support agent.

"We're on the runway at Boccadifalco airport!"

"You're _where_?" she exclaimed.

Before Brian could reply he was tugged violently in his seat as Allison made a hard right turn onto the main taxi-way, never lifting her foot off the throttle. Lacking a front splitter the car under-steered badly, and the cyborg had to fight to stay on the road. "We're leaving the airport!" Brian reported, "Westbound toward the Boccadifalco town."

Ferro instructed "Brian stay on the line with me...Claes, track his signal!"

The cyborg in glasses typed Brian McDonnell's number into the laptop computer they had set up for just such contingencies and feverishly tried to get a triangulation lock on the handler's cell phone. "There's too many cell towers...I can't sort out a good signal!" she exclaimed. Claes had been trained on the system but had never actually operated it, especially not with a friend and her handler being shot at by a sniper in a helicopter. Just at the right moment Priscilla returned from a trip to the grocery store. "Priscilla! I need your help!" shouted the cyborg, "Mr. McDonnell & Allison are being shot at and I can't get a lock on his cell phone!"

The intel analyst (who was very experienced with the system) dropped her bags and rushed in. "Claes, move honey..." she ordered, giving the girl a gentle shove. Claes did not object, and rapidly surrendered her seat to the more experienced woman. "You've got to sort out and deselect the weaker signals" Priscilla explained, clicking off check-boxes on the screen, her mouse hand moving at a speed normally achieved only by cyborgs. "Jesus it looks like they're moving a hundred and sixty kilometers per hour!"

McDonnell could hear her over the speaker phone; "That would be accurate," he grunted as Allison took a turn as fast as she dared in the aerodynamically impaired car and the g-forces crushed him into the side of his seat.

Ferro was already on the phone with the Mancini-Rissi-Alboreto team, informing them of the situation when Giuseppe, Henrietta & Michele came in. "The three of you get over to Boccadifalco as fast as you can! Henrietta, get your P90...Allison & Brian are under attack!" she ordered. It did not take the little cyborg long to dash to the storage room for her rifle and a bag of full magazines. "Go now!" Ferro instructed, "I'll fill you in on the phone!"

By now the helicopter had caught up the ground it had lost on the airport runway, and the fratello in the red Lamborghini was feeling the heat again. Allison raced up the winding streets of Boccadifalco, zig-zagging to avoid gunfire from above while dodging neighborhood traffic at the same time. At the worst possible moment a small dog ran into the street. Allison slammed on the brakes and pitched into a slide to avoid it but the sound of a sickening thump on the car's right side was unmistakeable. "Oh no, oh my god...I killed somebody's dog!" shrieked the cyborg.

"Allison stay focused, people are trying to kill us!" snapped Brian, but his young charge was starting to hyperventilate and lose concentration. "It's fine!" he lied to her, "You just gave it a glancing blow...I saw it get up and run away!"

"Are you sure?" Allison asked, wide eyed with concern.

"Yes!" McDonnell assured her, "Now just get us out of here!" His point was punctuated by another sniper hit, this time shattering the passenger side mirror.

Allison's telephone rang and Brian snatched it off her belt. "Allison, this is 'Sandro, we're on our way to help" the voice reported.

"This is Brian, we could _use_ some help!"

"Is anyone hit?" Rissi asked with concern.

McDonnell replied "Only Michele's car, but we're in a tight spot. Every time we slow down this damn sniper scores a hit on us and one of these rounds is going to nail Allison or I eventually."

"Look, Brian...we're coming as fast as we can but we've only got the Transit van," explained Alessandro, "You're going too damn fast...we'll never catch you at this rate. You have to _turn around_. Lead him back to the airport so we can head him off!"

_This ought to be fun_ , Brian though, rolling his eyes. He took a deep breath and told his cyborg "Allie, you're outrunning our backup...they're east of us and you're going west. You need to turn around and head back to that airstrip."

"Will do, boss!" replied the girl, and without a moment's hesitation she pitched the Gallardo into a left handed slide, hanging the tail out all the way around a conveniently located traffic circle as civilians shouted, cursed and blasted their horns. With smoke pouring off the tires the fratello regained speed and began their rush down the Boccadifalco hillside. Unfortunately, as they blasted past at over three times the speed limit Allison caught sight of something with her sharp cyborg eyes. "Brian, that's the dog I hit! It didn't get away...it's dead!" she wailed.

"Stay focused Allie, there's nothing you can do about it now, it wasn't your fault!" McDonnell tried to calm and re-focus his charge.

Allison frantic. The combination of fatigue, stress, and now the trauma of accidentally killing a house-pet was making it impossible for her to concentrate on the task at hand. "It was only a puppy! You told me it got away, Brian!" She was slowing dramatically.

"Lass, listen to me...this is not the time to worry about bloody dogs!" he snapped, immediately regretting his poor choice of words (the unfortunate dog was in fact rather bloody in a literal sense). "There are people trying to _kill us_! I am ordering you to focus and get us back to the airstrip as fast as you can!" She wiped away a tear and nodded, never taking her eyes off the twisting road in front of her.

"That's got to be it" Avise Mancini announced, pointing out a helicopter maneuvering over the hillside neighborhood ahead of them, "can you girls confirm?"

Focusing her enhanced eyes Agapita replied "I see muzzle flash...and there's Mr. Pagani's car coming down the hillside!"

"The chopper is barely a half kilometer away," added Petrushka "Can we return fire?"

Avise turned from the front seat and shook his head. "Not on your life...if we hit the pilot and down that thing it crashes into a residential neighborhood. Trust Allison...she'll lure them over here to the airport where we can fight."

"If she doesn't get herself & Brian killed first" muttered Elio, silently wishing he had his G3/SG1 rifle back in his hands, even though he knew Mancini was right.

As it came down off the hillside the Gallardo disappeared, but its progress could be tracked by watching the helicopter above, still firing down at its prey. They didn't have long to wait; in seconds the battered Lamborghini came howling through the main gate of the airport and blasted back onto the main runway, the helicopter following 100 feet above. "Now!" ordered Rissi, and the entire team, 3 men & two cyborgs opened fire on the chopper. More gunshots issued from the opposite, north end of the runway, where Giuseppe, Henrietta & Michele had just arrived. Caught in this deadly cross-fire the helicopter crew had no chance. They tried to turn and escape but luck was not on their side this day. Smoke began pouring from the engine panels, and the aircraft entered a tail-spin, corkscrewing down to land hard near the north end of the runway where Henrietta dashed in to finish any survivors with her P90.

Secure at last Brian McDonnell breathed a heavy sigh of relief. As the Lamborghini rolled to a halt he counted at least 6 bullet-holes in the supercar but by some miracle not one had pierced himself, his cyborg or a critical component that would have stopped the car. Putting his finger through the hole in the roof he estimated the sniper had been using a .338 round. That would be confirmed soon enough. "Excellent work Allison" he sighed turning his head to give her a smile, but instead of seeing his trainee as relived as he was he found her even more distraught than during the chase, her eyes wet with tears.

"Brian, I hit somebody's dog! I k-killed it!" she sobbed, "It was only a puppy and I killed it!"

"Allie, there was nothing you could do..." he tried to console her "...we were under attack, it just ran out in front of you. It's not your fault."

"We have to go back and find the owner...maybe it had a collar, an address" the overwrought cyborg pleaded.

McDonnell shook his head; "Allison, no, you know we can't do that." He thought of his own three dogs, and considered how angry he would be if one was hit by a car and the driver did not have the common courtesy to at least tell him. Now that the shoe was on the other foot it was not so easy; the clandestine nature of their work precluded he & Allison knocking on doors to find the grieving family and apologize. "I'll mention it to Ferro, maybe she can get a message to the owners, but that's all we can do."

"You told me he was _okay_!" Allison lashed out. "You told me it got up and ran away! You lied to me Brian...you lied to me and I hate y..." At that instant the influence of conditioning overwhelmed her, and Allison grew sweaty & nauseous.

"Oh crap...get out of the car, quick!" implored her handler, but it was too late, and the cyborg threw up in the driver's side foot-well of Michele Pagani's Gallardo. All Brian could do was hold her hair and wait to console his miserable sister when she finished unloading her lunch onto Michele's carpets.

By now airport fire trucks were arriving on the scene. Elio & Avise were doing their best to keep access to a minimum, sequestering police and directing their actions by the authority of their SISDE credentials, but in minutes the airstrip was crawling with emergency personnel and curious locals. Fortunately the presence of a burning helicopter wreck attracted most of the attention, drawing curious eyes away from the cyborgs.

Giuseppe drove the Fiat down the runway and parked it near Alessandro, the girls and the Ford Transit. He & Pagani got out, Henrietta following closely on their heels, her P90 already packed away in its violin case. "Mr. Pagani...gosh...look at _your car_!" she gasped with a childish lack of tact that earned her a sharp look of disapproval from Giuse.

Wordlessly, Michele walked a few slow laps surveying the damage, while Brian stood by with an apologetic look and Allison stood next to him, just looking miserable. There were multiple bullet holes, a dent in the passenger side door panel (spotted with what looked like blood) and one in the left rear panel, a mirror was missing, a headlight blown out and the front air diffuser was completely torn off (that last part came as no surprise, as he & Giuseppe had seen it laying in the field near the North end of the airstrip). A coating of dust covered the entire car.

Allison wiped her mouth and tried to get some words out but Pagani stopped her. "It's alright, Allison...as much as you love automobiles I know you did everything in your power to bring her home safely. If it had been anyone else I'm sure the Gallardo would be in a thousand pieces by now."

"I'm still really sorry Mr. Pagani."

Brian added "Yeah, Michele, if there's anything we can do..."

"Nonsense..." replied Pagani, "The important thing is that they're dead and none of us are even injured. I call that a win, eh?" That finally drew a small smile to Allison's face.

Elio walked up and reported "We've got the local police placated but there's going to be a whole lot of damage control to do. Giuseppe, give me the keys to the Fiat...Mancini & I will stay to answer questions and smooth things over. The rest of you should take the van and get the girls out of here before somebody gets too nosy and we need to have 'Etta kill them. Michele, how's the Lambo? Is it driveable or do we need to arrange a flat-bed?"

"It looks bad, but I can get it back to HQ" Pagani replied.

Allison raised her hand meekly, as if she was in class, and offered "Mr. Pagani...I think you should let me do that."

"You've been through enough, Allie" replied the man with a comforting smile that always melted Kara. "You just ride back in the van and get some rest, okay?"

"Umm...sir..." muttered the crimson faced cyborg, "...I kinda...threw up in it."

Without a word Michele opened the driver's side door and confirmed what Allison was telling him. He let out a sound that was between a sigh and a groan, but did not speak. Leaving the door open he walked 50 meters out into the field adjacent to the runway and sat down in the dry grass. Pagani stayed there for a long time, and none of his Section Two colleagues had the heart or nerve to bother him.

* * *

Aside from Elio, Avise & Marisa (who was still aboard the yacht) the entire deployed Section Two force was back at headquarters once the van arrived, Michele's Gallardo limping behind with Allison at the wheel. Everyone was tired, frustrated and hungry as they entered and staked out spots on the sofa's...only the two youngest cyborgs still able to show any enthusiasm. The room-mates had not seen each other since the battle that morning, which now felt like it was days ago.

"Hi Rico, what have you been doing today?"  
"I went out on a mission with Giuse" answered the blonde girl, "but the target wasn't home. Since Jean had something to do with Kara so I've been helping Ms. Ferro with her paperwork." A haggard look from Ferro told everyone how much Rico had been '_helping_.' "Is your hand all fixed, Henrietta?"

The chestnut haired girl raised her right hand proudly, wiggling her fingers around with a smile. Rico stared at it with blank, fascinated eyes and slowly lifted her own right hand up next to it. Silently the two cyborgs compared their hands. At the same instant they put their left hands next to each other, examining them as closely as they had examined their rights. "The right ones...they're..._exactly_ the same" gasped Rico.

'Etta let loose an ear splitting wail; "They gave me the _wrong__hand_! The doctors sewed on one of Rico's spare hands!"

"That can't be right..." muttered Pagani, as he strode over to inspect, but the evidence was unmistakeable. Rico & Henrietta's left hands did not match; 'Etta had a bit darker skin and Rico's fingers were longer...but the right hands were absolutely identical down to the creases, cuticles and fingernails. "Aww, jeeze, Giliani must have sent us the wrong one."

"This is awful!" cried 'Etta, "I'm made out of spare parts, like _Frankenstein_!"

"Actually, it was Frankenstein's monster who was made out of parts" corrected Agapita, earning her a sharp poke from Petrushka.

"Then I'm a _monster_!" Henrietta cried. This would have upset her at any time, but as tired as she and everyone else was it turned into a major crisis that even Giuse could not ameliorate.

"Henrietta" he said, going down on one knee and wiping away her tears, "it's perfectly alright. You didn't even notice the difference until now...and we'll get you sorted out with one of your own hands as soon as we return to Rome."

"It feels like a great big glove" she pouted, unable to take her eyes off the offending appendage.

He stroked a few hairs out of her face and said "You're just really tired...we all are. Why don't you get some rest and things will look better when you wake up, I promise." She nodded and dutifully trudged off to the common bedroom.

Once 'Etta was gone there was a heavy silence until Priscilla let a tiny snort of a laugh escape. "I'm sorry" she muttered, trying to contain heavier laughter.

"No, you're right of course" replied Giuseppe, cracking a grin of his own "someday we're going to look back on this and it's going to be _really_ funny." Fearing that the despondent Henrietta could still hear them nobody allowed themselves to laugh out loud, but there were a lot of rolled eyes and shared grins around the room.

**_Loose Ends I_**

Mancini & Alboreto returned a few hours later but there would be no rest for either of them. "Here you go" said Ferro, handing Avise a mission sheet. "It didn't take long to figure out who set up McDonnell and his cyborg...but he's already trying to skip town. I need you & Rissi to take the Lancia and intercept him."

Elio gave Mancini an oblique glance, wondering if Ferro knew how tired Avise & Agapita were of working with Alessandro & Petra. The ex-soldier caught his look, but only rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders in response. "You want me to go with them?" offered Alboreto.

"No, they can handle it I'm sure" Ferro replied "you can go with Giuseppe to take out the Public Safety mole that helped him by passing the information along. Croce already has the mission sheet and the keys to the Mondeo."

As Alboreto drove Giuseppe tried everything to cheer his depressed cyborg, allowing her to pick the station they listened to on the radio, suggesting she paint the fingernails on her borrowed hand as a prank on Rico, even promising that they would stop for gelato after the mission was complete, but nothing could shake Henrietta out of her funk as she sat in the back seat brooding over her monstrous hand. It was beginning to wear on Elio's nerves. "Giuseppe, just let the kid work it out of her system...she'll be okay."

"I don't know" replied Croce softly, "sometimes when they're not concentrating their guard drops."

The older man scoffed "Have you considered that both of us are qualified to handle this mission alone if we need to? Let your girl wait in the car if she doesn't feel up to it."

"I don't want to be left in the car!" 'Etta protested.

When he reached a traffic light Alboreto turned around to face her. "Then you know what you need to do, lass...quit fishing for pity and focus. You know perfectly well this was just a simple mistake, and as soon as we're back in Rome you'll get a perfectly good hand from your own stock. Now stop pouting and act like a big girl."

"I'll bet nobody ever sewed the wrong hand on you" she whispered sullenly, but a bit too loud.

"No," barked Elio, "but I know plenty of people who've lost hands, arms, even legs and gotten no replacement at all much less one the same day!" Several other cars honked their horns as the traffic light turned green, and Alboreto felt like flipping them off before accelerating away from the stop. He immediately regretted snapping at the young cyborg when she was already having a bad enough day, but a thin smile from Giuseppe let him know her handler had no objections. "We're all very tired, Henrietta...let's all just concentrate on this job and maybe we can get some rest when we're done" said the gray bearded man in a conciliatory tone. Keeping her mouth shut for fear of saying the wrong thing, Henrietta nodded in accordance.

Entering the Public Safety headquarters just as the sun was going down the team was greeted by a small force of agents. Expecting resistance from these men (the Section 2 team was there to arrest one of their own after all) a newly vigilant Henrietta placed herself between them and the men she felt responsible for protecting. Giuse placed a restraining hand on her shoulder and let Alboreto do the talking. "Signores, I trust you know why we're here?"

"Luca Castiglionni was my partner for 3 years" growled the only woman in the group, "it's hard to believe he's sold out, but..." the woman paused, deep in thoughts and with guilt etched on her face "...he _gambles_. He's lost a lot of money over the past year and it's very possible that he did something foolish to get out of trouble."

"We have no intention of killing Signor Castiglionni" Alboreto assured him.

"I though that what what Special Ops Section Two did" another agent questioned, "why are they sending you if all you're doing is arresting him and handing him straight back to us at Public Safety?"

"It was two of our operatives who were attacked" answered Giuseppe. "We're here to ensure this goes off without any complications." Henrietta shot the agents a well timed scowl, and knowing what she was they all inched back timidly.

The head PS agent nodded and said "Very well Sirs...Miss. Come this way."

The classically decorated hallways looked very similar to those at the SWA compound in Rome, and despite the numerous gates and security checkpoints the Section Two team was not hindered or challenged. A simple wave from the head Public Safety agent was enough to clear the guards from their path, and Henrietta (in a much better mood since the car ride) could not help but give the men a smile as they walked by.

"This is his office" whispered the woman who had been Castiglionni's partner, "he hasn't been out all day...he's not answering his phone."

"Have you tried knocking?" grumbled Alboreto.

The woman gave him a scowl and replied "He's locked and barricaded himself inside. He knows you stopped the attempt on your people...he knows you're coming for him."

Elio pounded on the door and used an intimidating tone; "Luca Castiglionni...you know who this is! We're here to talk, open the door. Your friends are out here too, you have nothing to fear."

"Except 30 years in prison..." muttered Giuseppe, but he was silenced by a harsh look from his older colleague. There was still no answer, so Croce ordered "Henrietta, what do you hear?"

Everyone else was silent...she placed her ear to the door and reported "One heartbeat, Giuse, very fast, and wood scraping on wood...he's opening a window!" Without waiting for an order Henrietta crashed through the door, breaking it off its hinges. She scrambled over a heavy oak file cabinet and desk in time to see Luca Castiglionni escape out the window. "I'll get him!" she exclaimed, racing out after him.

The frantic man jumped down 20 feet to a lower rooftop and turned to see his worst fear, one of Special Operations' little-girl cyborg assassins was hot on his heels. He screamed as he ran "I didn't know! I swear I didn't know they were going to try to kill them! I only fed your section the information I was given!"

Henrietta did not care what the man had to say. She had her orders and that was what she intended to do. Luca pulled a .38 caliber revolver from his coat and fired all six shots at Henrietta, but she did not slow, simply holding her left arm up to shield her vulnerable eyes. Not one shot hit, and in an instant 'Etta used that same arm to grab her target and throw him to the graveled rooftop. He rolled and tried to kick her away but she deflected there blows with her left had and fell on him with ferocity, breaking his leg and eventually winding up straddling him with both arms pinned behind his back.

By this time the adults caught up. Cuffs where slammed on the disgraced agent as he continued to scream that he had not known what the assassins had planned on doing. It was obvious that he still thought Section Two was here to kill him. "I think we're done here" said Alboreto, shaking hands with the head PS agent.

"I'll be in contact, and send a report to your Section Chief" the man replied "I'd just like to say that I'm really sorry about this. You came down from Rome to help and..."

Elio put up his hand and answered "There's no need. Our section has had its difficulties with moles as well, it comes with the territory. I only hope you can get some valuable information from this man."

"Good luck catching the assassins that organized all this" added the Public Safety agent.

With a nod Elio replied "Thank you. We have a very good team working on that right now."

As Luca Castiglionni was borne away on a stretcher Giuseppe praised his cyborg for her good job; "You reacted fast when you heard him escaping, that was excellent work."

Henrietta glowed in the light of his praise, "Thank you Giuse!"

"I have a question though," asked Croce, "you only used your left hand...is there a problem? Is your new hand not working properly?"

She looked at it, spreading out her fingers and flexing them. "Well, no, sir. It's just that...this is really Rico's hand, and I'd feel bad if it got damaged while I was borrowing it."

**_Loose Ends II_**

The ringleader of the plot to kill an SWA agent and his girl-assassin had gotten out of Palermo hours ago, but delays in switching to an untraceable car allowed Agency intelligence to catch up with him. As a result the Rissi & Mancini fratelli had an ambush set up in the hills to the South-West. Situated on a road-block waited Agapita & Avise, the cyborg armed symbolically & conveniently with the same Finnish SAKO TRG-42 .338 sniper rifle that had been recovered from the helicopter crash site. "_Poetic justice_" Avise had called it, and with Jean out on another mission he had only Ferro to convince. Whether she was charmed by his flair for the dramatic or just too tired to argue she consented, and released the weapon from the evidence room for Agapita's use on the mission.

For their part Alessandro & Petrushka waited alongside the road in the Lancia. They would wait until the target had passed and follow closely, cutting off any escape route if Agapita missed her shot (the very suggestion of such a possibility had sent the two warring cyborgs into yet another debate) and redirecting traffic once the job was done.

They did not have long to wait. "Silver Renault Laguna," announced Rissi, as the mark's car passed, "we are following."

"Copy that 'Sandro" Avise called back. "Heads up my dear...they're a kilometer way. Do you remember our target's face?"

"Of course, sir" she replied, "and might I add how pleased I am that _we_ get to make this kill instead of that insufferable Petrushka and her..."

Avise put up his hand and interrupted "Now stop right there. I know perhaps Rissi & I haven't been providing the most supportive example but this feuding has got to stop. It's just ridiculous & counter-productive. In all likelihood Jean Croce will have us working together as long as this operation continues and things are just going to get harder if we don't get along." The cyborg was more than a little surprised by her handler's words, but she nodded to show she understood. "Alessandro & I talked about this and we're all going to start acting a lot more professional & mature. Old Alboreto says it's just because we're all tired and cranky but that's not accepting responsibility...we have to be better, agreed?"

"Yes sir" replied Agapita, "car's coming."

"Alright," Avise said with a grin, "make sure to account for the pitch of the windscreen and put one right between our target's eyes. As soon as you hit him clear out, we don't want to get run over by the car."

Around a bend came the silver Renault Laguna. Avise could not look straight at it, blinded as he was by the headlights, but Agapita's cybernetic eyes easily compensated for the glare. She fired one single shot and hopped up. "I got him, sir...right between the eyes as you ordered."

Rather than run straight into the barriers they had set up the Renault made a sharp turn and attempted to run the other way. Avise turned to his cyborg and exclaimed "You said you got him! What's going on?"

"I did get him, sir" she replied, "that's the other man driving."

"_Other_ man?"

"Yes sir, there were two men in the car."

"Then why didn't you kill the both?" Mancini demanded, waving his arms like a mad man.

Agapita cringed from his angry display and explained "You only told me to shoot the target."

_This is not her fault_ an exasperated Avise tried to convince himself, _I know exactly how literal she is, I should have seen this coming_. "Well shoot the driver now, Goddamnit!" he ordered.

"Sir!" gasped the cyborg, scandalized by his blasphemy, but her handler just pointed insistently at the escaping vehicle. While the silver Laguna sped away with a shattered windshield Agapita dropped down on one knee and fired a fusillade of shots. Two hit the escaping driver, who lost control and drifted into the opposing lane. At the worst instant possible the Lancia Lybra carrying Alessandro & Petrushka rounded the bend and plowed straight into the Renault head on.

"Oh, _shite_!" Avise muttered, and sprinted to the accident scene 75 meters away, with Agapita hot on his heels. They passed the target's car, carrying two middle aged Sicilian mafiosi, both dead from rifle wounds to the head. The Rissi fratello was already out of the car, Alessandro surveying the damage to their car, Petrushka attempting to minister to her handler's bloody nose. "Christ, Alessandro, I'm sorry that was completely my fault...Agapita shot the first target but then..."

"Igtz ogay" muttered Sandro, waving off his concerns as Petra tried to shove cotton wadding up his nose. She was unhurt but seemed horribly upset by the whole ordeal, far more than her injured handler. "Duh radit-ator is bwusted dhough."

Rissi was correct...the Lancia was not totaled but would go no further tonight. As Avise & Agapita perused the crippled Lancia the ex-Bersagliere noticed something peculiar. "Rissi..." he muttered "...why is there blood on the passenger side airbag and none on the driver's side?"

The younger man waved off his questioning and tried to act as if he was in greater pain than he was, but clenched teeth and a guilty look from Petrushka added evidence to Avise's suspicions. "Damn it, Rissi, you weren't driving, where you? You had Petra driving!"

"Wgat diffuwunce does it mayge?" snapped the spy, still trying to stifle his nosebleed.

Mancini straightened up like a sergeant at drill and retorted "Petrushka is neither trained nor licensed to drive, that's what difference it makes! That's why you crashed our only automobile!"

Petrushka could not perpetuate the ruse any longer. She burst into tears and admitted "Don't blame him! I begged him to let me drive! I didn't mean to crash the car and break my handler's nose! I'm _sorry_!"

In pain and not willing to tolerate Avise's militaristic attitude Rissi ripped the cotton wadding from his nose and shouted "Well if you two had killed both targets like you were supposed to it would never have been an issue, would it?" This precipitated a full blown shouting match between the two handlers, from which both cyborgs took a step back.

"My Avise says we're to start acting more professional & mature" whispered Agapita, walking over to calm the near hysterical Petrushka.

Wiping away tears, Petra nodded and replied "My handler too...I suppose that means we should call Ferro for a ride back to HQ while they...umm...discuss the mission." With her hands still trembling she pulled out her mobile telephone and sighed "No signal."

"Me neither" lamented Agapita, looking at her own handset. "Ummm...sirs!" she ventured to call out, "Avise...Mr. Rissi...we can't get get phone reception."

The two men checked their own Agency satellite phones and found their luck similar to that of their girls'. "Well shit" muttered Alessandro, "it must be these mountains, we can't catch a satellite."

"What do we do now?" asked Petra.

"We hike it" growled Avise, pulling his coat from the car, "there was a taverna back on the road a few kilometers back."

"A few?" scoffed Alessandro, "the last building I saw was 17 kilometers ago."

"Not if we cut across country" Mancini replied "I haven't seen a map but as soon as we get to the top of one of these hills we should be able to spot civilization...it'll cut kilometers off the march."

"_March_?" muttered Petrushka, "Like in the Army?"

"I could sing some cadences if you'd like" groaned Mancini, "Bring whatever clothes and supplies we've got...it's going to be a long cold night."

* * *

Jean & Michele returned to Field Headquarters well after dark with their tired cyborgs dragging their feet behind. They had managed to round up 2 more low priority targets and kill a third, but for the most part the two fratelli had spent the night trudging around looking for targets that were not there anymore.

"You two go wash up and get some sleep" Pagani instructed, but Kara & Rico needed no urging. Even Jean went straight to the men's common bedroom for some sleep. Michele would have been right behind him but for the flickering glow of the television. He walked over to find Henrietta curled up on the couch watching an Audrey Hepburn movie (dubbed in Italian) with a bag of cookies tucked under her arm. "Henrietta, is that _all_ you've had for dinner tonight?" Pagani asked.

She never took her glazed eyes off the screen. "Too tired to cook" yawned 'Etta, holding out the bag "Want some?"

Michele was exhausted himself, and the last thing he wanted to do was start cooking, but a sense of adult responsibility impelled him to do _something_, hopefully something easy. He looked through the kitchen cabinets for anything which could be prepared with minimum of effort and dish washing afterward, and there it was staring him in the face. A one kilogram can of ravioli stood directly at the center of the cabinet amongst the other, harder to prepare foodstuffs. It had been slipped into their mission load-out as a prank by fellow handler Fernando G., who knew only he and his cyborg Rachel could tolerate the ghastly stuff. The canned pasta offended Michele's every sense as a gourmet and his every sensibility as a chef but at the same time his whole body screamed out with fatigue.

Accepting that defeat came one degree at a time, Michele reached up into the cabinet and grabbed the can, trading at least for the moment his ideals for the promise of sleep.

**_The Fourth Day_**

When Claes awoke the next morning she found the Mancini & Rissi fratelli in the living room, filthy and exhausted. The handlers sat on the couch, Agapita's head resting in Avise's lap. Petrushka sat at the dining room table with her head resting on a pillow of newspapers. "What happened to you?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

"We eliminated our target and one more" sighed Petra, never lifting her head from its resting spot on the table, "but we crashed the car out in the middle of nowhere & didn't have phone signal so we had to hike up a mountain to spot civilization."

Agapita continued the story; "After that we walked 8 kilometers through the forest to a town, but nothing was open, so we had to hitch a ride to the next town where there was a police station."

"In the back of a chicken truck" pointed out Petra before allowing her fellow cyborg to finish.

"So we arrived at the police station, but they were only open during the day" Agapita explained, "we had to find the Chief's house and wake him so we could report the accident and call Public Safety. They took 3 hours to arrive and when they did they wanted our handlers to fill out 2 _more_ hours worth of forms before they even offered us a ride home."

"Why didn't you just go straight to bed?" asked Claes.

"We only arrived five minutes ago" Avise muttered.

Claes continued "Why didn't you just try your satellite phones from the top of the mountain? Surely they would have worked up there."

All 4 of them sat up and stared at each other. There was a tense silence, finally broken by Alessandro who muttered "Oh, fucking hell..." All 4 of them let out a collective groan.

The dark haired girl had still more questions; "Why does Sandro have blood all over his shirt?" she asked.

Petra looked at her and grumbled "Claes, could you please shut up and let us sleep now?"

* * *

Morning dragged on. The ones who had slept came out looking for food and their first assignments of the day, the ones who'd had no sleep retired to the bedrooms. Nobody seemed in a mood to face another day of the relentless grind, but all were consigned to it. A few fratelli went out, but came back with no results...the underworld was by now aware of the Agency's presence in town and the _bad guys_ were laying low. Behind closed doors the handlers muttered discontentedly about Jean's unwillingness to call it quits on the operation, their cyborgs sat around, bored and irritable.

For his part Jean never had the telephone away from his ear, communicating with Public Safety and local police non-stop, trying to squeeze any last possible degree of success from the mission. Around 11am it finally became apparent to him that the pool of targets had dried up entirely. As the Field Commander set down his mobile phone all eyes were on him, but Jean gave no clue as to his intentions. "Rico" he called, "will you come over here?"

Puzzled, the blonde cyborg hopped up from her position on the couch where all the girls not presently sleeping had been watching a boring TV documentary about cheese making. Kara & Allison were immediately on guard, each girl locking their Commander with a steely gaze, fearful that Jean was going to somehow vent his frustrations unfairly upon their little sister.

That was not Jean's intention. "Rico," he began in a quiet rumble so that only she could hear, "You know what happened to my family, years ago, right? My father, my mother, my little sister and my fiance?"

"They got blown up by a bomb" replied Rico gravely, "I'm very sorry Jean."

"Well, yesterday I almost lost my only remaining brother the same way" he continued, "but you saved him Rico and...I'd like to say thank you for that."

Rico was taken aback by her handler's uncharacteristic candor. She'd half expected to be scolded for doing something wrong. "You're welcome Jean, but you don't have to thank me...I was only doing my job, protecting Mr. Giuseppe the same as I would protect you."

"Well it means a lot to me" Jean said softly, "and when we get back to Rome I'm taking the first available weekend off. We will do whatever _you_ want."

"Really?" gasped Rico, stunned by the offer. Even on the rare instances when they did take time off Jean always chose the destination & itinerary. She leaned back and mused "Do you think we could visit the zoo?"

"Anything you like" Jean answered, "you have lots of time to think about it so don't make up your mind too quickly. But first I have a mission for you..." He leaned forward and whispered something into his cyborg's ear.

Rico nodded to show her solemn understanding and walked over to the living room where her sister-cyborgs and their handlers & support staff waited. "Everybody...start packing up our gear. We're going back to Rome!" she announced. Nobody believed it at first, but Rico was famously honest, nearly incapable of guile. All eyes shot to Jean who confirmed her order with a small nod.

The pronouncement was greeted with a mighty sigh of relief. Exhausted men, women & cyborgs were re-energized...the girls mobbing Rico and hugging her as if she herself had made the decision herself. As everyone present busied themselves with preparations for departure Elio walked up to Jean and held out his hand. "Well handled" he complimented, "I've been in your position & understand how difficult it is to know when to call it quits. It's been a hard grind for all of us to be sure, but I think you pushed just long enough." Jean accepted the handshake with a tired smile.

"To be honest, Alboreto" muttered Croce, so that only the older man could hear, "I was hoping you'd step in and _tell me_ when it was appropriate to end the Op."

Elio laughed and answered "No, you're the Field Commander...it was your call to make."

The two men were interrupted by Michele Pagani, who arrived with a suggestion. "Gentlemen, rather than arrange expensive transportation back to headquarters may I once again offer the services of my _Bright Star_? It will take all afternoon to pack and load up but we can all get a good night's sleep aboard the vessel before we arrive in Rome."

"How long will the cruise take?" Jean inquired.

Michele thought for a minute and replied "You'll have to ask the Captain for a definite number, but I imagine we can do the 260 nautical miles in a little over a full day."

"Good" muttered Croce, "I think I can sleep for exactly 24 hours."

With a puzzled look Brian McDonnell inquired "What about your car, Michele?"

"She'll have to be taken back to the factory in Sant'Agata by flatbed, there's no use trying to drive her back" sighed Pagani. "I tried to trick Kara into driving back but she didn't fall for it...apparently Allison had confessed her little _conditioning moment_ to her before I got there."

Croce strode out into the living room and announced "Alright, you all heard Rico, begin packing all the evidence & your personal gear. Give the Mancini & Rissi fratelli another 3 hours then wake them as well, we'll need their help. The mission is over but we've still got a lot of work to do!"

**_The Heroes of Old_ **

Marisa always slept peacefully aboard a boat rocked by the waves but that night she was roused from her slumber by a hand shaking her shoulder. At first she was disoriented, not remembering where she had fallen asleep or even where she was, so she just assumed it was Elio waking her for an emergency mission. The first thing she noticed however was that it was not Elio's big hand shaking her shoulder but a much smaller, thinner one, though no less powerful.

"Mari, Mari wake up" whispered Kara, "You've got to come see this!" Wiping the sleep tears from her eyes Marisa slowly came around to full consciousness and remembered she was in the guest bedroom aboard Michele Pagani's _Bright Star_. A quick glance around the dark room (not a difficult task with her artificial eyes) revealed that she was the only cyborg sleeping therein...only Ferro, Olga & Priscilla dozed beside her.

Grabbing her shoes from under the cot Marisa began to tip-toe out of the room, but Kara assured her "You won't need those." Indeed the older girl was only in her pyjamas & socks.

Moving quietly through the yacht Kara & Marisa made their way to the topmost "sky" deck. They stopped when on the upper deck an unexpected man in a crisp white uniform crossed their path. "I thought you lot were all supposed to be in bed" admonished the vessel Captain with a good natured smile. He was just coming from the galley where he had secured a fresh cup of coffee.

"Just headed up top for a little sight-seeing, Skipper" replied Kara, returning his smile. With a nod the Captain continued on his way to the bridge, and the two girls resumed their climb to the sky deck.

Once they stepped outside into the chilly night air there was one last staircase to climb but as soon as Mari saw the sky above her she knew what Kara had wanted her to see. It was the night of the new moon, and with no lunar light the stars took over the sky. The boat was blacked-out as well, running only a single white _in transit_ light from the mast and the red & green navigation markers. Miles and miles away from the lights of land there was no human illumination to spoil the view either, and as a consequence the celestial dome was more brilliant than she had ever seen it. "Oh...wow" gasped the young red-head, craning her neck to take it all in.

"Good, you came...over here, Marisa!" Henrietta called out. All the other girls were laying on the big padded couch at the stern end of the sky deck, laying flat on their backs and taking in the spectacular show. To keep warm they had wrapped themselves in oversized beach towel's from the boat's linen locker, and were passing around a bottle of peach schnapps they had nicked from Michele's bar.

"Here you go" said Agapita, tossing Mari a spare towel, which she gratefully accepted (the chilly wind cut straight through her thin night gown) and wrapped around her shoulders before laying down with the rest. She glanced around at her cyborg-sisters, amazed that the stars cast enough light for her to see their faces clearly without any difficulty.

Kara reported "I just talked to Triela on the phone...she and Mr. Hillshire's team are already back at the dorm. Ilaria, Alba, Rachel, Melanie, Triela, they'll all be there when we arrive."

"They're already home?" asked Allison. She pumped her fist in the air triumphantly and exclaimed "Yesssss! We held out one day longer than they did!"

Petrushka spoke next; "Hey Marisa...sorry we laughed at you because of your leg injury. Mr. Pagani told us what really happened and why you couldn't tell us. That was a really awesome victory you won!"

"It's okay" sighed Mari, "but I was still pretty upset about not being able to help on the last day of the mission...sorry about that."

"Arrghh...no more sorry's!" growled Allison, "We're sorry, you're sorry, everybody's sorry...now here, have a drink!" She passed Marisa the bottle, who took a long sip before handing it off to Kara.

Henrietta stared up at the stars and sighed. "Giuse says all the heroes and great warriors from olden times are up in the stars for us to see if we look hard enough."

"He's right of course" Kara replied. "See, there's Angelica." She traced out a new constellation with her finger, crowned with a cluster of stars where the bow in her trademark hair-ribbon would be.

"Oh yeah!" said Rico with a smile, "And Beatrice & Silvia too!"

Claes added "There's Sophia, Pia...and Elsa."

"Where's Elsa?" asked Henrietta. Claes pointed and traced out a constellation right in the cluster of the Milky Way. "That's good," sighed 'Etta with a smile, "she isn't lonely anymore."

"There's so many stars up there" muttered Petra.

Marisa pointed out "There are more stars in the universe than every grain of sand on every beach in the entire world."

"And just think of all the energy they have..." added Allison, "...a single one puts out more in one second than we could even comprehend in a thousand lifetimes."

Agapita chimed in with a verse from Genesis; "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also...And God set them in the firmament of the Heaven to give light upon the earth."

"Why do you suppose they twinkle like they do?" Henrietta asked.

"Gravity bending light..." offered Claes.

"...atmospheric distortion & thermoclines..." Petra added.

"...all kinds of reasons" answered Kara with a shrug; but Rico disagreed.

"Nahh, I think it's just magic" said the blonde headed girl with perfect conclusive honesty.

Marisa wasn't sure what to think, but she liked Rico's theory. Her handler Elio was not a man inclined toward talking about the greater meanings of life, but he had told her that all things in science, morality and the human heart seek balance above all things. That made sense to Marisa: After all, the world could be a harsh place where violence was battled with more violence, and the suffering of those caught in the middle seemed to have no end. It only seemed logical that all of that must surely be balanced with a little magic.

**THE END**


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